


Black Blizzard

by theinvisiblekunst



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - Dust Bowl, Alternate Universe - No Bending, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-04-17 04:01:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4651452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinvisiblekunst/pseuds/theinvisiblekunst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the early 1930s, severe drought struck the Great Plains. Unanchored soil picked up by the prairie winds would turn in to massive clouds of dust, covering everything in it's path. It became known as The Dust Bowl, the worst man-made ecological disaster in human history.</p><p>Asami Sato, on her way to Chicago for business purposes, is delayed in a small Dust Bowl town when a duster rolls in. She comes to care for the townspeople she meets, especially the blue-eyed farmhand who helps her when she's injured. Unfortunately, in the small town of Republic City, Oklahoma, where Asami finds herself, residents and visitors alike will be witness to the worst storm yet, known as Black Sunday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Man's Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "A Korrasami Dust Bowl AU? Whaaat?" Yep, you read right. This is indeed a Dust Bowl AU featuring Korrasami in the days leading up to Black Sunday.
> 
> Also, if you're reading The Universe Expanded as well, worry not, I have not abandoned it. This story popped in my head recently, and I needed to write it down.

**One: No Man's Land**

_Tuesday, April 9, 1935_  
_Republic City, Oklahoma - Located 30 miles between Guymon and Boise City_  
_Republic City's only general store_

Bolin felt the sweat bead down his neck and back, but after almost five years years of extreme heat and drought, he was growing used to it. He leaned on the counter as his brother, Mako, swept the dust and dirt from the floorboards. Bolin didn't see the point. At any moment, another black blizzard could pop up and fill the place with dirt again. Pastor Tenzin's middle two kids, Ikki and Meelo, were sitting at their little table in the store where they sold candy for a penny, both too hot to be their rambunctious selves. Bolin looked up when he heard the bell on the door ring, indicating a customer. He assumed it would be Korra, the owners of the store's daughter, but he was wrong.

A tall, glamourous woman walked in. Now, the panhandle wasn't lacking in pretty girls, and while the depression and dust storms made it difficult for people to get any kind of fancy clothes, it wasn't like the ladies didn't wear pretty dresses. Yet, this woman was on another plane. Bolin could see what other men might find attractive about her, but she was far from his type of girl. Yet, there was something about her face that he liked. Something about her made him want to befriend her. Mako, on the other hand...well, he looked at her as if Ginger Rogers had danced her way inside.

The woman smiled at both of them before she walked to the Coca-Cola cooler and got a bottle. She went to the counter, still smiling. "Hello."

Bolin smiled and waved. "Hi! Welcome to Republic City. My name's Bolin, and that's my brother, Mako, and those two are Ikki and Meelo."

Meelo was suddenly up and at the woman's side. He bowed and said, "Hello, beautiful woman."

The woman chuckled and smiled down at him. "My, what a gentleman!"

"You're not from here, huh?" Ikki said. "Where are you from? Amarillo? Kansas City?" She gasped. "Ooh! Are you from _New York City?_ "

The woman chuckled again. "No, Miss Ikki. I'm afraid I'm not from New York." She turned back to Bolin. "How much for the soda pop?"

"Five cents," Bolin said.

The woman took out her little money pouch from her purse. "I don't have any nickels or pennies, but here's a dollar. Keep the change, Mr. Bolin."

Bolin looked in awe at the dollar bill. It had been a while since customers used paper money. Most used coins and tried not to spend whatever paper money they had. "Are-- are you sure, Miss...?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name's Asami."

"Are you sure you don't want the change, Miss Asami?" Bolin asked.

She took a deep breath. "Please tell me if I'm overstepping my boundary or if I sound offensive, but I know a lot you out here on the plains have been having a rough time, rougher than the rest of us, and I'm-- I'm _quite_ fortunate. Fortunate enough that I want you to have that dollar."

Bolin looked up at her, her light green eyes looking so sincere. Her pleasant face had him nod. "Okay. Thank you, Miss Asami."

She picked up her Coca-Cola. "Thank _you_ , Mr. Bolin." She used the bottle opener on the counter, and she turned and went over to the candy table. "How much can I get for a dollar?"

Ikki and Meelo beamed up at her. "As much as you want!" Ikki said.

She smiled. "Tell you what..." She took out two dollars, giving one to each of the kids. "I'll take a couple of these licorice ropes, a Milky Way, an Oh Henry, and a Mallo Cup." She put the candy in her purse.

Ikki and Meelo stared at the dollar bills before jumping to their feet. "We gotta take these home!" Ikki said.

"Korra might be here already, too!" Meelo said as they ran out.

Asami turned to Bolin and Mako, waving to both. "Thank you for the soda pop and candy."

Mako continued to stare as Bolin waved back. "Safe travels!"

Asami walked out, the heat hitting her. When she left Los Angeles, there had been bad floods, but here on the plains, it was clear it hadn't rained in years. She took a drink of her ice cold Coca-Cola as she walked to her Duesenberg, which was parked in front of the store, and she saw an old truck parked beside it that wasn't there when she arrived. The hood was up, someone leaning over to see inside the truck, and seeing that Meelo and Ikki were talking to this person, they must have been this "Korra" they mentioned.

"I can fix it!" Korra said. "Get in the truck, and I'll drive you home once it's fixed."

Asami heard her curse a few times, and she walked over. "Excuse me?"

Korra stood up and turned. Asami nearly gasped. _This is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen_. Her brown skin was glistened with sweat, and her bare arms were very toned. Her light brown hair, cut to just under her ears, moved around with the wind. Her white tank top was stained with oil and dirt, and her dark blue trousers, held up with suspenders, were patched and also dirt stained. Her boots were caked with dirt and looked worn. While her muscles were quite the sight, it was Korra's bright blue eyes that had Asami's attention.

"Yeah, what d'you want?" Korra snapped.

"I was just wondering if I could do anything to help."

Korra scoffed. "You? I'm sorry, but I doubt it."

Asami grinned and went to her Duesenberg, putting her purse inside before returning to Korra. She set her cola down, rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, and looked inside the truck. Korra stood back and crossed her arms. If _she_ didn't know what was wrong with the truck, how the hell would this prissy looking woman know anything?

Asami stood up after a while and smiled. "All right, start her up."

Korra cocked a brow but got in the truck as Asami lowered the hood. She started the truck, and it came back to life. Korra's jaw dropped. "How-- what?"

Asami went over to her open window, taking a drink of her cola. "My father works in aviation, building planes and such. I don't only know how to work on a plane's engine, but I also know a thing or two about vehicle repair."

"I don't know how--" Korra suddenly stopped when she saw the giant cloud on the horizon behind Asami. "Kids, roll up the window and get inside _now_."

Asami stepped back when Korra rolled up her window before she got out of the truck. "What's going on?"

"Unless you want that fancy car of yours to get filled with dirt, go roll up the windows."

Asami went to her car and rolled up the windows before getting her purse. Korra waited for her on the sidewalk. "What's going on?"

Korra looked back at the sky. "Black blizzard."

Asami turned and saw it. Her hand went limp and dropped the bottle, the shattering glass not phasing her. It was one thing to hear about the black blizzards; it was another to see the wall of grays and browns take up the entire horizon and sky. Behind her, the sky was a bright blue. In front, it was swallowed up by the wall of dirt. Asami wasn't much of a religious woman, but if she were, she would have thought she was witnessing something out of the Book of Revelation. She broke from her trance when Korra grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the store.

Bolin was standing behind the counter, holding the cellar door in the floor open. "Mako and the kids are downstairs. All windows and doors are shut."

Korra pulled Asami down in to the cellar, and Bolin followed after, bringing the door down and securing it. The cellar had stone walls and no windows, and a few bare bulbs on the walls and ceiling gave them light. Bolin got a couple of lanterns from the shelves as Mako dampened some cloths and bandanas in the sink. The six sat on the floor as they waited for the storm. Mako and Korra helped tie the damp bandanas around the kids' noses and mouths as Bolin handed them aviator helmets and goggles, both of which had been on the shelves. Asami had seen kids wear those leather helmets and goggles for fun, but she assumed here kids wore them to protect their eyes. Korra handed Asami a damp white cloth, and she held it against her nose and mouth when she saw the other three do so.

Asami looked up in horror when she heard the howling of the winds. "What?"

Korra didn't hesitate to take hold of her arm. "It's just the winds. When the dust seeps in and falls through the floors, shut your eyes and keep your head down."

"Wait...the dust can still get down here?"

Korra nodded. "The dust gets through the cracks in the floor, but it's still safer down here. No windows or doors like upstairs."

Asami shut her eyes anyway and kept her head down. She was sure the winds continued for another hour or two. She could hear Korra, Bolin, and Mako tell stories to keep the kids calm. She felt a hand on her back, knowing it was Korra, and it was a comforting touch. It hurt her heart that these people had to live like this. How often did these storms occur? How long did they usually last?

She could hear Ikki cough and let out a whimper after Korra, Mako, and Bolin ran out of stories to tell. She looked up to see that the kids were seated between Korra and Mako, Ikki holding tight to Korra's arm. She and Meelo both whined and whimpered, and Asami didn't know what possessed her to sit up and start singing.

" _Blue moon you saw me standing alone_ / _Without a dream in my heart_ / _Without a love of my own_." She felt her stomach tighten. She wasn't one for singing in front of people, but the kids seemed to have calmed down.

Korra looked at her and continued, " _Blue moon_ / _You knew just what I was there for_ / _You heard me saying a prayer for_ / _Someone I really could care for_."

Bolin joined in as she and Korra went on together, " _And then there suddenly appeared before me_ / _The only one my arms will ever hold_ / _I heard somebody whisper 'Please adore me'_ / _And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold!_ / _Blue moon_ / _Now I'm no longer alone_ / _Without a dream in my heart_ / _Without a love of my own_."

The three continued on with other songs, the kids joining in every so often. Mako was the only one not to sing, but Asami figured he was the strong and silent type. Korra had the kids sing songs they learned in Sunday school as a way to continue keeping them distracted. After what felt like hours, the winds died down. The basement was hazy with dust, and the cloth Asami held against her face did little to keep it from getting in her mouth and nose. The others stood up, and when Korra, Mako, and Bolin removed their cloths, tossing them on the sink counter, Asami did as well. Bolin picked up Meelo as Mako held Ikki, and both kids kept the goggles and bandanas on. Asami went over to them and held her purse open.

"Here, take the candy. I think you guys need it more than me."

Meelo took the Milky Way, and Ikki took the Mallo Cup. They both said thanks. Korra led the way back upstairs, and Asami coughed again when they reached the first floor. Everything was coated in another layer of fine dust, and the haze was thicker. Asami felt her eyes water from the irritants, and she didn't hesitate to follow Korra outside. The wind was still blowing, though not as fast, and only a little bit of dust blew with it. It was no longer a cloud but just whatever was left behind.

Asami turned to Korra. "Thank you, but I should get going if I'm to make it to Chicago when I need to."

She stepped off the curb and heard Korra yell out to her not to touch her car. It was too late. Asami felt the electricity run up from her hand and arm, and she flew back against Korra's truck. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Asami's head was pounding as she woke. Had that all been a dream? When she opened her eyes, would she be in her bed back in Los Angeles? Did that mean her beautiful blue-eyed woman was also just a dream? A part of her didn't want to open her eyes and find herself back in Los Angeles, in her apartment with its view of the Hollywoodland sign. A part of her hoped to wake up in the dusty Oklahoma panhandle and find that she had been electrocuted (by what, she wasn't sure).

"Are you awake, Hollywood?"

Asami felt calloused fingers gently brush her bangs off her forehead, and she opened her eyes. _She wasn't a dream_. She smiled up at Korra. "You're real."

Korra chuckled. "Of course I'm real. _You_ are the one I'm still debating on being real or not."

Asami winced when her head throbbed again. "What happened?"

Korra bit her lip and glanced down. "I should have warned you before. The dust storms cause things to get charged up. You can sometimes see the electricity on the windmills and metal fences. Your car was full of electricity."

Asami held her right hand up and saw it was bandaged. "Where am I?"

Korra's cheeks reddened a bit. "My bed. When you passed out, we brought you to me and my parents' house, and our town doctor, Kya, and her mother, also a doctor, helped you out. Kya's Meelo and Ikki's aunt."

"I need to leave." Asami tried to sit up, but Korra gently held her down. "I have to get to Chicago before Sunday. I have a business meeting on Monday."

"You can't go anywhere, Hollywood," Korra said.

"Why are you calling me 'Hollywood'?"

Korra laughed. "Because you're glamourous like a movie star, like Jean Harlow." Her cheeks reddened more. "And I looked at your vehicle operator's license and saw you're from Los Angeles."

"Oh."

"Yeah, sorry."

Asami shook her head. "No, it's okay."

Korra gently squeezed her shoulder. "But you do need to rest. My mom and dad welcome you to our house, and if you need anything, just let us know. They're Senna and Tonraq."

Asami nodded. "Thanks."

Korra stood up. "I'm going to sleep on the couch. Just call out if you need anything."

Asami grabbed her hand. "No, don't. This bed is big enough. Just sleep here." She looked down. "It-- it would make me feel better...having someone next to me."

Korra sat back down on the bed, seeing the fear on Asami's face. "It was the storm, huh?"

Asami nodded. "I'm still a little shaken." She scoffed. "Listen to me...it's something you live through almost every day, I'm sure, and I'm just a coward."

"You're not a coward. You just aren't used to the black blizzards." Korra laughed. "I'd probably piss myself if I went through one of them earthquakes y'all have in California." She got up. "I'll just go take a quick bath and put on my pajamas. I'm still kind of dirty from the dust."

Asami watched her leave the room, and she lay back down on the pillow. She tried not to think about the storm or the possibility of one happening during the night. At least she'd have Korra beside her if that were to happen. She wouldn't be alone. Korra returned a few minutes later, fresh from her bath and wearing a clean tank top and pajama pants. She got under the covers, a poof of dust coming up from the blanket and mattress. Asami closed her eyes and held her breath until the dust settled.

"Sorry," Korra said. "Kinda hard to escape the stuff even indoors. This house is one of the sturdiest built in town, not as porous as a lot of the farm houses on the outskirts, but the dust still finds its way in."

"I can't imagine having to live with the dust day in and day out."

Korra sighed. "Can't say I'm used to it, though it's been going on for three years now. Don't think anyone could ever get used to it." She sighed and turned her head. "So, tell me about you, Hollywood."

Asami grinned. "Not much to tell. I was born June the twenty-eighth, 1913-- _exactly_ one year before the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot-- in Los Angeles, California. My parents are Hiroshi and Yasuko Sato, though Mother died when I was six. Tuberculosis took her. Father runs an aviation company called Future Industries, which became a big company during the war, manufacturing planes and tanks to send to the British and then the Americans when we joined the war. I've been around engines all my life. After Mother died, Father had me by his side almost all the time, so I'd go with him to the factories and see the planes being built."

Korra grinned. "You didn't strike me as the mechanic type. I'd figure you for an actress or dancer or singer."

Asami laughed. "No, no, that's not for me. Though, Clark Gable _did_ tell me I had nice eyes when I had lunch at the Brown Derby once."

"You met Clark Gable?"

"Briefly."

Korra chuckled. "My mother would be so jealous. Is he as handsome in real life as he is in the pictures?"

" _More_ handsome."

"So, you dine with movie stars and build airplanes, is what I'm getting from you."

"I don't dine _with_ movie stars," Asami said with a chuckle. "I just dine in places they happen to be. Hollywood Boulevard has a lot of fine establishments to eat at." She nudged Korra with her elbow. "How about you?"

"Me? Nah, I don't dine with movie stars."

Asami laughed. "You know what I meant!"

Korra grinned. "Just havin' some fun. Okay, about me. Well, born April first, 1914 here in Republic City. Mix of different Indian tribes. Dad's grandfather was an Inuit man from the Alaska Territory who came down here when this was still Indian Territory because he wanted to explore the frontier or something. I think it was because he wanted to live in a warmer climate. He married himself a Choctaw woman, they had some kids. Grandfather married my grandmother-- who was also Choctaw, I think-- and they had my dad and his brother, Unalaq, who went east and lives in Oklahoma City. Mom's father was a mostly white man from Leavenworth-- or Lansing, maybe Lawrence-- I dunno, an eastern Kansas town that began with 'L.' I think he also had some Comanche in him, I can't remember. Her mother was a Shawnee woman from Tonganoxie...that's in Kansas, too, not too far from one of them L-towns my grandfather was from. Y'know, my grandfather might have been part Shawnee, not Comanche. Anyway.

"Mom and Dad met in Dodge City. She wanted to go west; he was helping with a cattle drive or something, I can't remember. They came down here to Republic City and had me. Dad decided to not live the farmer's life anymore, and when the previous owner of the general store sold it, Dad bought it. Mako and Bolin came in to our lives a while ago, and Dad hired them to work in the store. They live in the apartment above it. As for me, I worked a little bit in the store, but I prefer being outside. I work for some of the farmers around here, when I can, doing mostly heavy lifting or herding cattle or taking care of horses, whatever they need. From time to time, I help Pastor Tenzin and his wife, Pema, with watching their kids. They got four: Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan. Our families are pretty close. Dad served under Tenzin's older brother, Bumi, during the war, and when they came home, Bumi, Tenzin, and their sister, Kya, became close with my parents. At the time, Tenzin was dating the sheriff, Lin Beifong, who apparently helped her mother, another officer of the law, 'tame' this area when it was known as 'No Man's Land.'"

Asami looked at her in awe. "'No Man's Land'...that sounds like something from the cowboy serials I'd read as a kid. You have such an interesting life and background, and the people around you sound like all-around good people."

Korra chuckled. "I don't know if it's really all that interesting, but it's life. And yeah, people around here are good people, the best. I hope you can meet some of them before you leave."

"Me too."

When Asami yawned, Korra said, "We should get some sleep. We can talk more tomorrow. I can't promise there'll be a big breakfast, what with the shortage of beef and crops."

Asami closed her eyes. "It's okay. Goodnight, Korra."

"Goodnight, Hollywood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From 1923 to 1949, the Hollywood sign said "HOLLYWOODLAND," so yeah, that's what Asami can see from her L.A. apartment.


	2. Filled With Dirt

**Two: Filled With Dirt**

_Wednesday, April 10, 1935_  
_Republic City, Oklahoma_

Senna brought the pot to the table, and Tonraq served the four bowls. Asami wasn't expecting a big hot breakfast, but she also wasn't expecting brined tumbleweed soup. She wasn't going to complain, of course. This town didn't have much, and Korra's family opened their home to her. She was another mouth to feed, and they could have easily kicked her out or not helped at all, but they didn't. Here was Korra's mother cooking what they had for them and an extra mouth.

Tonraq and Senna were exactly what Asami expected Korra's parents to look like. Tonraq was a tall, broad man, his face showing the years spent working in the sun. He did look more like a rancher than a shop owner, and if not for his gentle smile and kind dark blue eyes, Asami would have been intimidated of him. Korra seemed to get her build and laugh from him, but she had Senna's facial features and bright blue eyes. Senna was a little shorter than Korra but not by much, and she was definitely built smaller. Still, despite her thinner frame, Asami knew this was a strong, hardworking woman.

"I apologize," Senna said. "Ten years ago, I would have made a nice big breakfast, but these days..."

Asami shook her head. "No, no, it's all right, Miss Senna, I understand. Listen, if you'd like, I can go to the nearest market and get whatever you all need."

"We can't ask that of you," Tonraq said.

She smiled at him. "I'm _offering_ , Mr. Tonraq."

Korra chewed a piece of the tumbleweed and swallowed it. "Nearest big city market would be down in Amarillo, about a two, three hour drive."

Asami tried to steady her hand as she lifted the spoon. As her right hand was the one bandaged, she had to eat with her left. Sadly, she wasn't left-handed. "I can drive down there before leaving for Chicago."

"If we're going to Amarillo, _I'll_ drive," Korra said with a laugh. "You really shouldn't even be up."

"No, you girls shouldn't go all the way to Amarillo!" Senna said.

Korra drank down the rest of her soup. "It's okay, Ma. Asami fixed the truck."

"We could always just take my Duesenberg," Asami said.

"You can't be driving."

"No, _you_ drive it."

Korra looked at her in shock. "You want me behind the wheel of your fancy car?"

Asami smiled at her. "I don't mind. Plus, you can get pretty far with a full tank of gas, and we can drive with the top down."

Korra shook her head. "Might hit a roller so best to keep it up."

Asami wanted to pretend that the risk of running in to a dust storm was minimal, but she knew that wasn't the case. As much as she wanted to share the joy of driving her car with the top down, it would be foolish considering the dust storms. Asami helped Senna clean up the table and kitchen before she got dressed for the day. She sighed as she looked through her suitcase in Korra's room.

"Something wrong?" Korra asked as she got some clean clothes from the closet.

"Everything I have is business attire. Why didn't I bring a pair of trousers?"

"Here." Asami turned and caught the clothes Korra tossed to her. "I hardly ever wear those pants. They may fit you."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't," Korra said with a grin.

She left the room to change in the bathroom as Asami began to undress. She put on the dark brown trousers and the blue plaid button down shirt, and she opted for her own boots, as Korra's would have been way too small. The pants were a little loose, but the suspenders kept them up. She tucked in the shirt and rolled up the sleeves when she finished dressing. Korra met her in the living room, and Asami followed her out the screen door after they said their byes to Tonraq and Senna. She reached in her purse for her keys, and she handed them to Korra. Her dark red Duesenberg SJ, with its tan soft top and whitewall tires, was parked beside Korra's truck on the dirt driveway, and they got in.

Asami looked at her bandaged right hand as Korra started driving them down the dirt road towards the main road that would get them to Boise City to the west. "Who drove my car here after I was electrocuted?"

"No one. I towed it with my truck."

Asami smiled. "Thanks."

Korra whistled as she glanced at the gauges on the dash. "So this thing can go up to a hundred and fifty miles per hour?"

Asami grinned. "I can get it to one-oh-four in second gear and almost a hundred-forty in third gear. Give her a try."

They were far enough outside of town that Korra speeding wouldn't have been an issue. They were the only car on the road, so Korra put it in second gear and felt the power as the car sped up. She let out a whoop when the car hit eighty, ninety, a hundred miles an hour. She put it in third and managed to get up to a hundred and twenty before she got nervous about losing control and slowed down.

"Holy shit! That was _amazing!_ "

Asami smiled. "Isn't it? Nothing like taking this girl drag racing down the Los Angeles River."

Korra glanced at her. "What?"

"During the dry times, the Los Angeles River stays below its concrete river bed, making it the perfect drag strip. I haven't raced in a while, because of the ra--" She stopped, feeling like she'd be bragging about rain.

"You can say it," Korra said with a chuckle. "Los Angeles gets rain."

Asami looked around their arid surroundings, seeing small trails of dust blowing across the black pavement ahead of them. "The rains will come here. I know it."

Korra sighed. "Yeah, but not any time soon."

They made it to Amarillo in good time. Asami liked it right away. It was smaller than what she was used to, but it was considerably larger than Republic City and Boise City. Though, as Korra said, it was the largest city to get hit with the dust storms regularly. They found a grocery store, and Asami bought all the fruits, vegetables, meats, breads, and anything else Senna may have wanted or needed. Korra cringed when she heard the price, but Asami happily paid for it all. She also paid for the gas when they stopped to fill up. Korra was still feeling uneasy as she drove them back north, and Asami could see it.

"Think of this as me paying you and your family back for helping me," she said.

"It was still a lot of money."

"I have enough to spare, believe me."

Korra went quiet and didn't say a thing until they neared the state line. She pulled the car over to the side when she saw the darkened horizon. "Black blizzard. Looks like it's coming this way."

Asami felt her chest clench. "What do we do?"

Korra shut the engine off and got out. Asami watched as she took out two bandanas from her pocket and used a water bottle to wet them. She got back in, and they both rolled up the windows. Korra looked back to see how much room there was between the back and front seats. It looked to be enough.

Korra handed Asami a damp bandana. "Put this on, and let's get in the back."

Asami nodded, and when she climbed over the front seat, Korra did as well. They tied the bandanas around their noses and mouths, and they managed to settle between the seats. There was enough room for them to lay comfortably on their sides, chest-to-chest, and Asami moved closer when Korra wrapped her arms around her.

"We can't drive through it?" Asami asked.

"No. Everything's too black for the headlights to be any use. Just keep your head down."

The dust storm didn't look like it was going to be as big as the one the day before, but that didn't keep Asami from shaking when she heard the winds. She felt her heart race, and she shut her eyes when the car began to rock. The feeling of being trapped made breathing hard, and she pulled the bandana off.

"I can't breathe!" she gasped. "We need to get out of here!"

Korra pulled her bandana off and moved her hands up to cup Asami's face. "Listen to me! Breathe slowly. In...out..."

Asami slowed her breathing, going the same pace as Korra. It suddenly went dark around them, and the only thing keeping Asami from having a panic attack was the feel of Korra's hands. She needed to feel more of Korra, so she moved her hands up to her face. She pulled her close and pressed her forehead against Korra's. She felt Korra's breath on her lips, and the next thing she knew, Korra was on top of her, their lips pressed against each other. They frantically undressed each other in the dark as the winds buffeted the car, but all Asami felt was Korra's wet warmth against her own.

"I've never done this before," Korra said against her lips. She moved her hips a little, as if to make herself get as close as she could to Asami.

"It's okay."

"I want to do this."

"I want to do this, too."

Korra gave her a deep kiss before slowly pulling back. "Guide me."

Dust seeped in through any tiny openings between the windows and soft top of the Duesenberg, but Asami only felt Korra's fingers after she guided them down to her clit. Breathing became difficult, thanks to both the dust and growing orgasm. Asami reached for one of the discarded damp bandanas, and she pressed it to her nose and mouth just as she let out a pleasured scream. Korra may have been inexperienced, but _damn_ , was she a fast learner.

"It's your turn," Asami said, moving the bandana.

Korra shook her head before she rested her body on top of Asami's. "Not yet."

The storm passed by faster, but the windows were coated in the dirt. Despite that, the sunlight illuminated the hazy interior, and they saw each other naked for the first time. Asami was in awe of the taut muscles of Korra's stomach when she sat up on her knees, straddling Asami's hips, and she ran her fingers along them. Her body was much softer than Korra's, fit but not toned. Asami's breasts were smaller than hers, and they looked perfect to Korra. They stared at one another for a long moment, as if memorizing the sight of the other.

Korra pushed her hair back and moved away from Asami, her eyes widening when the weight of what they just did hit her. "Oh, my God, what the hell are we doing?"

Asami sat up. "Korra?"

Korra sat back against the back door and sighed. "What are we doing, Asami? We can't be doing this. We can't be getting attached to each other. We've only known each other for a _day_ , and you'll be leaving soon."

Asami moved a little closer to her. "Korra, do you like me?"

"A lot."

"And I like you a lot. What if..." She bit her lip before continuing, "What if I sent telegrams to Los Angeles and Chicago, tell my father and the business people I was supposed to meet that I got injured in Oklahoma and the dust storms are keeping me here for a while. That way we can have longer to continue getting to know one another?"

"And then what? We have sex some more and then you leave for California?"

"You could come with me."

Korra shook her head. "I can't and won't leave my family."

"Then I'll stay here."

"And _what?_ " Korra clenched her fists in frustration and looked down as the tears fell. "Asami, you can't have a life here. You wouldn't like having a life here. There aren't any big fancy restaurants and stores. There's no big business. There's no movie stars or any glitz and glamour."

Asami sat back. "Is that all of what you think of me? I'm just some spoiled debutante that needs fancy, expensive things?"

"No, that's-- that's not what I meant. I just-- you wouldn't like it here long term. You can't deny that you're used to a certain lifestyle, and living life not knowing when your next meal will be, if a black blizzard will finally swallow you whole, or if the heat will get you first...this place is hell on earth, Asami, but it's my hell on earth, not yours."

Asami sniffled and wiped her tears away. "You're right."

"And even if we did live together, what kind of future could we have? I'm just a farmhand who's lived in the panhandle her whole life. I'm a woman of the Great Plains, definitely not someone that would be welcome by your friends and family. I've heard what the migrant families that went west are going through." The people in Republic City that left for the promise of work in California had written back to family and friends in town, who'd update others in town. Hearing about the horrors of the tent cities and the discrimination the migrants faced made Korra glad her parents decided to stay. "Your people wouldn't like that you brought back some low-class Okie."

"I don't care about what they would think."

"You say that now."

Asami wiped her tears again. "I just...if we can't have a future together, can we at least enjoy the present together?"

"It would make it more painful when you left."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take if it means I got to spend a couple of more days with you."

Korra moved forward. "There's no going back from this, you know."

"I know."

They kissed, and Asami gently pushed Korra back so she was laying on the floor. Her lips moved down Korra's beautiful skin and perfect muscles before settling on the warmth between her legs. If she and Korra were on borrowed time, she was going to enjoy every second of it.

* * *

After they dropped off the groceries at the house, Korra took Asami to the Western Union office so she could send a telegram to her father and one to Chicago. They headed over to the store when they were done, and Korra was happy and a little surprised to see Jinora was there with Ikki and Meelo as Bolin worked the counter and Mako restocked shelves.

"She's back!" Bolin said when he saw Asami.

"It's good to see you again, Bolin." She nodded to Mako. "And you, Mako."

Mako gave her a nod and a small grin. Korra turned to Jinora. "I see you're out of bed. Feeling better?"

Jinora smiled up at her, but even Asami could see the girl wasn't well. She didn't think Jinora was normally pallid and gaunt. She also had a feeling the girl was thin mainly from not being able to eat as often. She was wearing a floral print sundress, similar to Ikki's, and it hung loose around her thin frame. Even her boots looked a little big. She looked both young and old at the same time. Asami could see her youth in her eyes, but living in these conditions clearly aged the kids.

"Better as I'll ever be. Mom's at the church with Dad, helping him prepare his sermon, and they took Rohan with them. With these two here, I was bored, so here I am," Jinora said. She coughed in to her handkerchief before she smiled at Asami. "Hi, I'm Jinora."

"I'm Asami."

Jinora coughed again. "Oh, so you're the movie star my younger siblings couldn't stop talking about."

She started having a coughing fit, and Asami could see the dark spots on the handkerchief. Korra knelt down in front of Jinora. "We should get you to your aunt."

Jinora shook her head. "No, she'll just want to send me to Kansas City with Mom's parents. I don't want to leave! I'm fourteen; they can't make me."

"Jinora, you're coughing up dirt!" Korra argued. "You're clearly not over your dust pneumonia." Asami's brows raised. There was such a thing as "dust pneumonia"? As if these storms weren't bad enough, now she finds out they were making people sick. Korra went on, "It would be best for you to go east. They're not getting these storms in Kansas City."

Jinora had another coughing fit and Korra picked her up, cradling her in her arms. Jinora may have been fourteen, but she looked so small and young in Korra's arms. Korra asked Ikki to go tell her parents that Korra was taking Jinora to the hospital set up in the high school gym.

Mako took off his smock. "I'll go find Kya and let her know."

Korra nodded. "Thanks."

"Meelo and I can watch the store," Bolin said.

Meelo nodded. "Yeah!"

Korra looked at Asami. "Come on."

Asami nodded and didn't hesitate to follow her out to the Duesenberg. Korra set Jinora down in the middle of the front bench seat, and if Jinora wasn't as small as she was, it would have been a tight fit. Korra drove to the high school gymnasium, and Asami followed her as she carried Jinora inside. When they stepped inside, Asami could feel her heart break. The gym floor was lined with hospital beds, most occupants being children. The patients were all coughing, and some looked near death. A nurse handed her and Korra face masks before she took Jinora to a bed. Korra sat down on the edge of the bed, Asami standing behind her, and the nurse began to pat Jinora's forehead with a damp cloth as she took her temperature.

She looked at the mercury in the glass and shook her head. "One-oh-three point six."

Asami could see Korra tense, and she had the feeling Korra was fighting the urge to reprimand Jinora for being out of bed, but now wasn't the time for that. A few minutes later, an older woman with gray hair and skin as brown as Korra's came running in. She sat on the other side of the bed and started combing Jinora's hair back with her fingers.

"Oh, honey, how does the chest feel?"

Jinora coughed. "Heavy."

The woman looked at Asami and smiled. "It's nice to see that electricity didn't completely fry you, Miss Asami."

Asami realized who she was then. "You must be Kya."

"Indeed I am." She turned back to Jinora. "I'm going to exam you and decide what to do from here on, okay?" Jinora nodded. Korra stood up and moved beside Asami to give Kya some room. Kya used her stethoscope before using a little flashlight to look down Jinora's throat. She stood up when she was done. "Baby girl, you are full of dirt."

Jinora grimaced. "It hurts."

"I know, honey. I'm going to go see if your parents are here and talk to them before I let them back here. Get some rest. We'll be back."

Jinora nodded, and Korra and Asami followed Kya back to the front, both taking off their masks. A bald man with a pointed beard and a haggard, sweet-faced woman were talking to the nurse when they walked up, and the woman turned towards them.

"Kya! How is she?"

Kya took the woman's hands in hers. "It doesn't look good, Pema."

Asami realized they were Jinora's parents, Pastor Tenzin and his wife, Pema. Tenzin put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "What can we do?"

"I may have to do an emergency operation to drain the fluid in her lungs, and we _have_ to get her out of here if she's to survive."

Pema pressed her face against Tenzin's chest as she sobbed. Tenzin held her tight and looked at Kya. "Do what you need to do. May we see her?"

Kya nodded and led them back to Jinora's bed. Korra looked back at Asami, seeing the far away look in her eyes. She gently guided Asami outside, and they went to sit in the Duesenberg. Asami leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her head was spinning, making her nauseated. She wasn't sure if that was her post-electrocution symptoms or from finding out about dust pneumonia. Probably both. Her hand began to throb under the bandage, which only offered a little distraction.

"Jinora got caught out in a storm," Korra said after a while. "She was walking home when the blizzard rolled in. She ran to the nearest building she could find, which turned out to be a barn, and luckily, she was all right. Or so we all thought. Dust pneumonia it-- it isn't a quick illness, and so many babies and kids have died from it. I watched Rohan cough himself to fits when he was baby. Pema feared they'd lose him, but he came out okay. Jinora...she had breathed in _so much_." She covered her eyes with her hand. "It should be me, not her. Not her, not Ikki, not Meelo, not Rohan. They're all just kids. Why couldn't _I_ be the one in there sick? Save her from slowly dying from being filled with dirt?"

Asami didn't hesitate to reach for her other hand and grasp it. She could tell her that she shouldn't think that and that Jinora would be okay, but how could she know the latter? "Anything Pastor Tenzin and his wife need, I would be more than happy to help."

Korra looked at her and shook her head as she grinned. "Look at you...throwing around your money to help us poor, dust filled country folk."

"You have all been nothing but welcoming to me, and you all helped me when I got hurt. Throwing my money at you all is the least I could do."

Korra looked down and shook her head again. "If you keep doing that, we're gonna become too dependent on you. People out here...it's hard for people out here to accept charity when we've been struggling to survive these last five or so years. Accepting help from our neighbors is one thing, but accepting help from a rich stranger is something else." She chuckled. "Unless that rich stranger is Frankie Roosevelt, but Frankie ain't a stranger."

Asami gave her hand a squeeze. "After Black Tuesday, I worried about my father and how he would handle the stock market crash. Fortunately, he kept an emergency fund in a secure safe in our house, just in case of something like the crash were to happen. Also, fortunate was that while Future Industries did take a financial hit, it wasn't a huge one, and most of the smaller divisions were hardly affected. Father knew that the 'Roaring Twenties' weren't going to last forever, that our good financial fortunes could go at any moment, so he saved his money wisely. What we did lose, we managed to gain back by selling some things. Still, while we were lucky, it was still a rough time. I was hurt most by selling my mother's jewelry. I didn't care about the value of them, though the money we got for them did help us keep most of our factory workers employed; it was the sentimental value. These were the last bits of my mother I had left, and one night, Father and I listened to the radio. President Roosevelt is speaking to us, all of us, and his voice...he was so comforting, so hopeful, I knew then things were going to get better, and they are. For you, for this town, the entire Plains, everyone." She chuckled. "Or, you know, we could just have _another_ Great War to boost production, like that would ever happen."

Korra couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I doubt Europe wants to do _that_ again." She smiled at Asami. "You're just like ol' Frankie, giving out hope. Thank you."

"Maybe I could do that for a living...go town to town, just giving out hope."

They both laughed and sat there in the car together, both feeling slightly better than they had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah, I doubt Europe wants to do _that_ again." - Give it four years, Korra.


	3. Double Negative

**Three: Double Negative**

_Thursday, April 11, 1935_  
_Republic City, Oklahoma_

Asami bought a couple of pairs of trousers, a couple of button-down work shirts, some undershirts, and a couple of simple sundresses and casual boots and a pair of saddle shoes. She found the clothes more comfortable than her business attire, even if they weren't tailored to her size. One of the sundresses, the blue one, she decided she'd wear to the big dinner Senna was cooking for that evening. The red, floral print dress she put on for the day, along with her new saddle shoes. She pulled her hair up in a loose ponytail, and when she was ready for the day, she met Korra outside on the porch.

She sat down beside Korra on the porch steps and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What's the plan for today?"

Korra smiled at her before giving her a kiss on the lips. They didn't have sex the night before, opting to just hold one another and share small kisses, which was enough for them after the day they had. They had agreed to take things slower, just continue getting to know one another. If their romance couldn't continue, at least they both knew they had a friend in the other. This morning seemed brighter, and Asami could see that Korra was bit more chipper.

"I was thinking we could take Ikki to see a Shirley Temple picture, give her a fun little distraction from everything."

"What about Meelo?"

Korra laughed. "He's going to spend the day with Bolin and Mako, learn how to run the store," she puffed out her chest and added in her best Meelo voice, "'like a man!'" She gently took hold of Asami's bandaged hand. "How's this feeling?"

"Better. Your mother helped me change the wraps earlier." Her palm was burned, and she was likely going to have a scar, but she didn't care. That morning she looked in the mirror and saw the exit burn and bruise just above her shoulder blade for the first time. It looked worse than it felt. She got up, Korra standing with her. "C'mon, let's go see that picture."

She gave Korra her keys, and Korra drove to Pastor Tenzin's home. Ikki was sitting on the porch when they pulled up, and she jumped to her feet when she saw the Duesenberg. She ran up to the car, and Korra got out so she could ride in the middle of the front bench seat. Asami could see despite her smile that Ikki was still troubled. How could she not be? Her sister was drowning in dirt and needed an operation before she was sent to Kansas City. Korra parked the Duesenberg across the street from the theater, and Asami purchased the tickets before Korra could get her little coin purse from her pocket. When they went inside, Asami told Ikki to get whatever she wanted from the concession stand.

"Any other time, I would have been upset you were spending more money," Korra said to Asami, "but I see that smile on Ikki's face, and I can't be mad." She gave Asami's hand a squeeze. "Thank you."

Asami smiled. "Anytime."

Ikki got a bag of popcorn, a Hershey bar, and a bottle of Coca-Cola, all of which Asami happily paid for. The three went in the theater, and Ikki wanted to sit by herself, as she was eleven and therefore old enough to sit by herself. The theater wasn't full, and the other people around were mostly mothers and their children. Ikki took a seat in the middle row, and Asami and Korra sat on the top row. When the cartoon started playing, Asami felt a hand on her thigh before a pair of lips pressed against her neck.

She grinned and whispered, "Are you really trying to neck with me during a _Popeye_ cartoon?"

Korra continued kissing her neck. "Of course."

Asami turned to catch her lips with hers. "I'd be mad if it was a Donald Duck short." They resumed kissing, and Korra's hand went further up Asami's thigh until she felt Asami's silk panties. She tried to hook her finger around them, but Asami grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. "What're you doing? _Not here_."

"There's no one else up here, and no one can see us," Korra whispered.

" _No_."

"All right. Bathroom?"

Asami was on her feet and pulling Korra up by the hand to the nearest women's restroom. No one else was in there, so they went to the furthest stall from the door. Asami was pressed against the stall door as Korra unbuttoned the front of her dress. She slid her hand under Asami's bra, taking hold of her breast, and Asami unbuttoned Korra's trousers before sliding her hand down her underwear. She smiled when Korra let out a gasp, and she moved her fingers around her warmth. She hit all the right spots to make Korra weak in the knees, and as Korra rode out her orgasm, she pressed her lips against Asami's exposed breast as to muffle her moans. Asami slowly pulled her hand out, and she made sure Korra watched as she licked her fingers clean.

"And here I was, thinking we'd go slow," she said.

She felt her heart race when she saw the pure hungry lust in Korra's eyes, and suddenly, Asami found herself turned around and pressed against the stall door. Her back was to Korra as she felt her pull her panties down. "I don't want to go slow anymore."

"I don't want to either."

The dress was pushed up above her hips, and Asami let out a shocked gasp when she felt Korra's tongue on her anus. Who knew she'd be so sensitive there? She reached up and held tight to the top of the stall door so she wouldn't fall, her knees wobbly from the new sensation. Korra's hands squeezed her ass before moving down her thighs. Two fingers teased her clit before slowly moving inside her. With Korra's tongue where it was and the feel of her fingers hooking inside her, Asami was sure the entire town heard her heavy breathing and moans. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out when she hit her climax, and as she came down from it, she felt Korra's body against her back.

"I don't want to go slow anymore," Korra said again, her voice hoarse. She rested her chin on Asami's shoulder and held her tight from behind. "I just want us to make love as much as we can."

Asami nodded. "I want that, too."

"I want to enjoy what time we have together. I want the feeling of your sweaty, naked body against mine seared in my memory. I want to kiss and taste every part of you. I want those memories in case we never see one another again."

"I want that, too." Asami turned to face her. "I want _you_ , Korra. All of you. Mind _and_ body."

They held one another for a while before they cleaned up and went back to the theater. Through the rest of the movie, they held hands and stole the occasional kiss.

* * *

When Korra, Asami, and Ikki walked out of the theater after the movie, they saw a young woman leaning on the Duesenberg. Korra and Ikki both tensed, neither one moving. Asami wondered what made them so nervous. This woman was maybe a little older than her and Korra, and Asami was _definitely_ taller than her (assuming by the fact the woman looked about Korra's height). She looked strong, and the way her eyes were staring hard them was a little intimidating, but that didn't stop Asami from hurrying towards her, ignoring Korra's protest.

"Excuse you, but you're leaning on my car."

The woman smirked and kept her arms cross as she leaned away from the car. "This overpriced hunk of metal is yours? I should have known." The woman walked towards Korra and gave her a seductive look. Asami was tempted to stand between them. "Hello, Korra. I've been _awfully_ lonely without you around as often."

Korra swallowed hard, moving to stand beside Asami. "Please leave me alone, Kuvira."

Kuvira reached for her, but Asami grabbed her wrist with her bandaged hand. "You heard the lady."

Asami gasped in pain when Kuvira reversed the hold and held tight to her wrist, and she felt a pop. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Let her go!" Ikki yelled from behind Korra.

Kuvira ignored her and gripped Asami's wrist tighter, sending her to her knees. "I feel bad I might have to mess up that pretty little face of yours, especially if you don't learn to mind your own goddamn business. Korra is _my_ girl."

At the same time, Asami and Korra said, "No, she isn't!"/"No, I'm not!"

Korra grabbed Kuvira's arm, making her let go of Asami. "Why can't you just take 'no' for an answer? I don't have any kind of feelings for you! Asami's my girl, and I'm hers!"

Kuvira smirked. "You wanna know why I won't accept a 'no'?" She leaned closer. "Because I _always_ get what I want, and I want _you_ , Korra." She pulled her arm away and stepped back. "You'll be mine soon, Korra." She looked at Asami. "You might as well pack up and leave. Ain't nothing here for you anymore."

Asami held her wrist as she slowly got to her feet. She winced from the pain in her wrist and knees, which felt bruised from her falling. "Which means there's something for me here. Double negative."

Kuvira narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"

Asami wanted to throw up from the pain in her hand and wrist, but she did her best to ignore it. She managed to smirk at Kuvira as she said, "You said 'ain't nothing' here for me, implying there is not 'nothing' here, so there _is_ something here for me." She didn't move when Kuvira moved closer to her. "And her name is 'Korra.'"

And that was how Asami ended up on the ground, her lip split open when Kuvira's fist made contact.

* * *

Senna had Asami lie on the couch as she prepared the ice pack for her. The house smelled of baked ham, lamb chops, and mashed potatoes, the foods Korra and Asami brought back from Amarillo, and Senna had been finishing up making the latter when Korra half-carried a bleeding Asami in the house. Tonraq, who had been peeling and chopping vegetables at the kitchen table, got up to help the girls, and Senna set to work on the ice pack. Tonraq got a pillow and blanket from Korra's room, putting them on the couch for Asami, and Korra sat on the edge, holding Asami's hand as she gently wiped the blood away with her bandana.

"What happened?" Senna asked, walking over with the ice pack in hand.

"Kuvira hit her," Korra said.

Tonraq crossed his arms. "I knew that girl was trouble the day Suyin Beifong allowed her to stay on their farm."

Beifong? Asami figured this Suyin was related to the town sheriff. Senna gently placed the ice pack on Asami's lip. "What in the world possessed that girl to hit you?"

Asami held the ice pack now. "I mocked her."

Korra grinned. "Asami used her brains." Her grin faded. "Unfortunately, Kuvira used her fist in retaliation."

Senna gently patted Asami's shoulder. "We're going to go finish preparing dinner. You girls rest, okay?"

Both said their thanks, and Senna and Tonraq returned to the kitchen. Asami moved over to give Korra room beside her on the couch, but before Korra could lie down beside her, Ikki walked in through the screen door with Meelo in tow. She went over to Asami and handed her a Mallo Cup.

"This is so you'll feel better," she said.

Asami smiled and took the candy. "Thank you, Ikki."

"It's from me, too!" Meelo said.

She smiled at him. "And you, too, Meelo."

Korra looked at the clock on the wall. "Hey, isn't it time for two certain someones' favorite radio show?"

Ikki and Meelo both cheered and ran to the radio that sat on the big table by the couch. Korra moved to lie down beside Asami, Asami lifting her head and shoulders a bit so Korra could wrap an arm around her. Asami closed her eyes as she rested her head against Korra's shoulder, and she smiled as the kids recited the narration of the opening to _The Adventures of Danger Woman_.

"Tenzin and Pema don't have a radio anymore," Korra said, "so the kids like to come over here to listen to their favorite shows. Sometimes Pema will come over and listen to the latest drama with Ma."

"Radio is such a great invention," Asami said, her eyes still closed. "I love how it brings everyone together."

"Shh!" Meelo said. "We're tryin' to listen to _Danger Woman_!"

Korra rolled her eyes. "You coulda just said 'please.'"

"Please _shh_ ," Meelo said.

Korra and Asami both chuckled and listened to the rest of the radio program with the kids. When it was over, Asami sat up. "I'm going to go clean up and get ready for dinner."

Korra sat up, too. "I'll join you." She looked at the kids. "Y'all run home and take a bath. You're dirtier than a duster."

The kids got up and headed out. Asami and Korra went to the bedroom after Asami dropped the ice pack off in the kitchen, and Korra brought the pillow and blanket back to her room. Asami went to her suitcase and picked up the blue sundress she planned to wear for dinner, and she smiled when she felt a pair of warm, strong arms around her.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Korra kissed her neck. "I was thinking, we could save water if we share the shower."

Asami smiled and turned to face her. "I suppose we would."

They shared a long, deep kiss as Korra started to unbutton Asami's dress. They tried not to break the kiss as they undressed and stumbled towards the bathroom, but that only made them laugh. They managed to get in the shower, and they separated long enough for Asami to start washing her hair.

Korra picked up Asami's fancy bar of soap. "Why does it smell like flowers?"

Asami rinsed her hair before putting conditioner in. "Try it. It's Yardley's English Lavender. If you like it, I can always send for an information booklet from New York or London for you to look at."

"New York? London? Wait you have to send for this stuff?"

"There are shops in Los Angeles that carry it now, but I did request their information booklet before I bought their soap, creams, and perfume."

Korra sniffed it, not understanding why anyone would want to have such a fancy soap. Soap was soap. "A little too flowery for me. I'll stick with Lifebuoy; it's fancy enough for me."

Asami rinsed the conditioner from her hair and took the soap from Korra. She rubbed it between her hands, set the bar down, and lathered the soap in her hands before gently running her hands over Korra's warm skin. She moved up her stomach muscles to her breasts before sliding her hands over Korra's strong shoulders and down her back. Asami smiled at the feel of those strong, defined muscles, and she grasped her butt, bringing her close.

"What do you think of the soap now?" Asami asked.

Korra grinned. "I'd say it was your turn to get soapy."

She pressed her body against Asami's, and they resumed kissing. Korra's fingers moved between Asami's thighs, but Asami stopped her. "If we do this now, we'll never get out. Save it for tonight?"

Korra nodded and kissed her cheek. "For you, anything."

They finished in the shower, and as Korra got dressed, Asami dried and styled her hair. When she finished with her hair, she started to get dressed. She noticed Korra looking at her beauty products that were sitting on the dresser. "See anything you like?" she asked with a grin.

Korra shook her head. "How do you know what this stuff says? It's not even in English."

Asami smiled and went over to her. "Well, I know _just_ enough French to know this is a powder makeup, and this is my mascara bar, and these are face creams...one for removing makeup, the other for moisturizing my skin."

"All this just to get dolled up?" Korra kissed her cheek. "I think you're just as gorgeous without all this."

"Thank you, but I wear this stuff mainly for me. It just-- I don't know, I feel creative and in control of myself when I put on makeup." She sighed. "I doubt I'm making much sense."

Korra smiled and this time kissed her on the lips. "Well, if this stuff makes you happy, then you get all the beauty stuff from France and New York that you want." She held up the powder compact. "Think this stuff will do anything for me?"

Asami took the compact from her. "Well, for starters, my makeup is much too light for you. Besides, your skin tone is so perfectly even and smooth, you don't need this stuff. Now, if you'd like to try a little eye makeup, my stuff can work for you."

Korra laughed. "No, thanks, I think my eyes are good." She looked down and cleared her throat. "So, uh, you think my skin looks perfect?"

"Everything about you looks perfect, but what's inside makes you all the more illuminating."

Korra felt her cheeks grow warm. "You really know how to charm a girl, Asami Sato."

Asami grinned. "Just one of my many, many talents."

Korra smiled and watched as Asami applied her makeup. She managed to hide the bruising around her split lip with the powder, and her lips masked the dried blood. If not for the swelling, it was as if she was never hit. Once they were both ready, they left the bedroom and went to the kitchen table to help set out the plates and utensils. Senna had added the table leaf to extend the table, and Tonraq brought the extra chairs from the cellar. Asami was in awe of the furniture. She knew good craftsmanship when she saw it.

"This is amazing work! I assume these are handmade?" she asked Tonraq.

He smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. My grandfather and father made the table and chairs for me and Senna when we got married. Some of these older chairs were handed down from my grandfather."

Asami knelt down to examine the work on one of the chairs. "Everything is just so perfectly put together. I'm no expert on furniture, but I know a thing or two about building. I'm willing to bet these will last forever."

Tonraq laughed. "Not unless they get taken by a twister!"

Korra smiled at both her father and Asami, enjoying that they were getting along, but she cleared her throat and said, "Hey, Li'l Miss Fix-It, I could use some help setting this table."

Asami was on her feet. "Right! Sorry."

She helped Korra finish setting the table just as Pema, Ikki, Meelo, and who Asami assumed was the youngest child, Rohan, walked in. Senna and Tonraq each hugged Pema before Korra gave her a hug, too.

"Tenzin sends his best," Pema said, "but he wanted to stay at the sick ward with Jinora and Kya, since I was there all day today. I'll spare any details, but Jinora's surgery went well. She seems to be doing better."

"Oh, wonderful news!" Senna said.

The front screen door opened again, and Mako and Bolin walked in. Once all the greetings were done, everyone sat down at the table.

Meelo and Bolin both stared at the ham and lamb chops with their jaws dropped, and Bolin managed to ask, "Is that... _meat?_ "

Ikki beamed at the fresh cooked vegetables. "And green beans and carrots and peas!"

"Peas!" little Rohan repeated.

Asami felt her heart clench at the looks on Pema, the kids, and even Mako and Bolin, as if they hadn't seen so much food in such a long time, but as she realized, they probably hadn't seen so much food in a long time.

"Please, feel free to take what you'd like home," Senna said. "Thanks to Asami, we're stocked for a good long while."

Pema looked at Asami. "Oh, you didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did," Asami said. "This is the least I could do to help. All of you have been so wonderful to me, and you're all such good people that I couldn't stay here and not do anything to help." She smiled at Ikki and Meelo. "Now, try not to eat _too_ much _too_ fast, otherwise you'll get a stomach ache."

Pema nodded at the kids. "Small, slow bites. I can't have you two getting sick all over Ms. Senna's nice table."

Tonraq led grace, and afterwards, everyone served themselves and ate. All but Asami fought the urge to gobble the food in one bite, but at the same time, they all seemed to ration what was on their plates. Asami noticed Korra was glancing at her after a while, and she smiled down at her plate as she cut her piece of ham.

"What can I do for you, Miss Korra?" she asked.

"The way you cut your food and hold your fork is so... _fancy_."

"Didn't you know, Korra?" Tonraq asked. "It's how all the movie stars in Hollywood eat." He winked at Asami, who laughed. "Why don't you show us some of that fancy fork work, Asami?"

"Sure," Asami said, "but just know, I wasn't exactly the easiest or best student in my etiquette class. I was too stubborn and ornery to follow what the instructor said. I was going to eat _my_ way. Still, I did manage to pick up a thing or two." She laughed. "Once, the etiquette instructor scolded me in front of the whole class because I continued eating while holding the fork with my left hand, as opposed to switching back to my right after I cut my food. So I turned it back on her and said in the most hurt and serious tone, 'But _madame_ , I'm left handed.' I don't think I've ever seen anyone look so mortified."

Korra and Tonraq laughed as Pema and Senna smiled. "Sounds like something _you_ would do, Korra," Senna said.

"Well, maybe, if you could even get me to a class like that," Korra said.

Asami smiled at her. "What? You wouldn't want to curl your hair, put on a frilly dress and white gloves, and have an old French woman barking at you if you do something wrong?"

"Well, when you put it _that_ way..."

Bolin clapped his hands. "Oh! Can I take one of those classes? I would _love_ to learn how to be fancy, too!"

Mako laughed and ruffled his hair. "He would, too. My little brother, the gentleman."

Asami tapped her chin. "Well, with a little bit of shopping at a haberdashery and some pomade and a nice shave, I could have you two Hollywood Boulevard ready."

Everyone laughed and settled in to casual conversation. Asami look around at the people eating with her, and they all looked so happy. Stopping here in little Republic City for a cold Coca-Cola was the best decision she ever made.

She wasn't sure if she did want to leave anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The Adventures of Danger Woman_ was not a real radio show. I took it from _TaleSpin_.


	4. 5165 Santa Monica Boulevard

**Four: 5165 Santa Monica Boulevard**

_Friday, April 12, 1935_  
_Republic City, Oklahoma_

The sun was beginning to rise, the faint light coming through the damp sheet hung over Korra's window that kept most of the dust out. Both she and Asami were still awake, neither having slept all night, the first half spent having sex while the second half was spent talking. Korra kept her arm around Asami, who was curled against her side, her head resting on Korra's shoulder. They were both naked under the sheet, in part because it was hot in the room from the heat outdoors and the damp sheet keeping any wind out, they loved the feel of each other's skin, and they were also too lazy to put clothes on after they made love.

"Morning already?" Korra asked, noticing the light.

Asami sighed and moved so her forehead was against Korra's neck. "Yon light is not daylight, I know it, I. It is some meteor that the sun exhaled."

Korra chuckled. "What?"

Asami pulled back to look up at her. "It's Shakespeare. _Romeo and Juliet_?"

Korra shook her head. "I don't know who or what that is. I didn't get a fancy education, you know."

Asami settled back down on her shoulder. "It's okay. I'll tell you about William Shakespeare. He was a sixteenth century English poet and playwright, and he wrote some of the most famous plays still performed today. One of his best known is the tragedy _Romeo and Juliet_ , which is about two teenagers who fall in love, despite their families being in a feud. Some people think it's the epitome of romance, but I don't. I personally found Romeo to be an idiot, and it's clear Shakespeare was being campy with a lot of the scenes. Now, his Jacobean plays I find to be the best. _Macbeth_ and _Othello_ are my personal favorites."

"Jack-o-what?"

"'Jacobean.' It means the era of King James the first of England, who was also King James the sixth of Scotland. He was king in the seventeenth century."

Korra smiled and kissed her forehead. "You're such an egghead, I love it. Tell me some more stuff."

"Okay, well, James' son, Charles the first, as he became when he was crowned, was executed because he was thought to be 'too Catholic'...or something to that effect, and he fought the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War. This military leader named Oliver Cromwell, who was a Puritan, took over as 'Lord Protector' of England, Scotland, and Ireland. But then he died and Charles' son, Charles the second, was crowned king."

"They teach you all that in finishing school?"

Asami laughed. "No, not at finishing school but at the boarding school I went to before."

Korra's brows raised, and she looked down at her. "Wait...finishing school's a real thing? I thought it was just something in the pictures."

"No, it's a real thing." Asami smiled up at her. "It's where we young ladies go to learn social graces," in a snobby tone, she continued, "'to prepare us for our entry into society.'" She pushed the tip of her nose up as she held her head back, mocking the snooty society people she had been around her whole life.

Korra laughed and moved to kiss her lips. "You rich people are weird."

Asami nodded. "We are. I was fortunate, though, to have a father who saw my academic potential and didn't plan to marry me off once I was eighteen. I was done with high school at fifteen, did finishing school for a year when Father said I was to have a college education, especially since I'm to inherit his company when he retires. I got in to Radcliffe, which is in Massachusetts, and I was done by the time I was twenty."

Korra's eyes were wide as she stared up at the ceiling. "A college girl, huh? Wow. I can't-- you're really smart, then. I feel really dumb now."

Asami moved to prop herself up on her elbow so she could look her in the eyes. "You are _not_ dumb, Korra. Trust me when I say a college education means _shit_ when it comes to how smart people are. I knew plenty of college graduates-- men and women both-- that were so smart, they were _stupid_ , and I knew some that got in because their parents paid their way in, not because they had the intelligence. You're very bright, you know how to read people, you're warm and compassionate, you have common sense, and you're open to new ideas and experiences. Maybe you don't have the worldly opportunities some have, but in a lot of ways, you're smarter and more experienced than me. If not for you, I would have driven into that first dust storm and probably died from crashing my car."

Korra looked up at her. "Thanks."

Asami brushed her bangs off her forehead with her fingers and moved her hand to cup Korra's cheek. "Please don't ever say you're dumb. Just because I can pretentiously quote Shakespeare doesn't mean I'm any smarter. Put you and me out on the Plains with nothing, and you'd survive. I'd be dead in minutes."

Korra moved up to kiss her, careful not to hit the swollen bruise. "No, you wouldn't. I'd make sure you'd survive, too."

Asami smiled against her lips. "So compassionate."

They kissed again, this one longer and deeper. Korra rolled them over so she was on top of Asami, and they both laughed and smiled as they kissed, enjoying the feel of just being together. Korra pulled away, and her smile faded.

"This might sound strange, but...I don't know, I just-- I feel so close to you, like I've known you for a long time, not just a few days."

Asami nodded and reached up to cup her face. "No, I know what you mean. Maybe-- maybe in another lifetime we did know one another for a long time. Perhaps we were good friends, the best of friends who fell in love, and maybe that love was so strong, we felt the attraction through other lifetimes."

Korra smiled. "You just blew my mind, College Girl."

Asami closed her eyes and pulled Korra down as she brought her head up so their foreheads touched. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

Korra chuckled. "Just gimme a smooch, egghead."

They kissed again, but when Asami tried to deepen the kiss, she pressed against Korra's lips too hard, aggravating her split lip bruise. She yelped and pulled away. She held her lip and said, "Sorry. That was my fault."

Korra looked at her with wide eyes full of concern. "Are you all right? Need me to get an ice pack?"

Asami shook her head. "No, no, it's okay. Could you, maybe, just lie here and hold me?"

Korra smiled. "You bet." She moved to lie on her side, and she wrapped her arms around Asami, holding her close. "I..." She took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment. "I think, when things get better around here...I think I want to come to California with you."

Asami snuggled closer to her, if it was possible. "That's funny because I want to stay here with you."

"I thought I said--"

Asami pulled back to look at her. "I know what you said. This is your hell on earth, not mine, but what if I want it to be mine, too? What if I want to stay and help in anyway I can, at least until the rains come back? What if I want to stay here because I've come to really care about you and want to make what we have work?" She cupped Korra's cheeks in her hands. "All I have back in California is my father. I-- I don't have many friends, and the ones I do have I'd consider acquaintances at best. I know it's only been a couple of days, but I feel more welcome here than I do back in Los Angeles."

Korra sighed, knowing she couldn't convince Asami to leave, as much as she did and didn't want her to. "Just promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me that the moment you regret staying here, you won't hesitate to tell me you want to leave, because I'll support your decision. If I could leave, I would, but you have a home elsewhere. When you want out from this pit of dirt, you _go_ , got it?"

"I..."

"Asami, _please_."

Asami nodded and gently brushed her thumbs against Korra's cheeks. "Okay. All right, Korra, I promise. I promise I'll leave the moment I regret being here."

"Thank you."

Asami moved down so her ear was pressed against Korra's chest, and she fell asleep listening to her heartbeat.

* * *

Korra opened her eyes and turned to look at her alarm clock. 9:12. Later than she usually got up. The warm body beside her, though, was reason enough to sleep in. She turned on her side to face Asami's back, and she gently ran her fingers down her soft, fair skin. Korra laughed to herself. _She's so pale. How is it she hasn't burned up in this sun yet?_ Her favorite feature of Asami's back were the two dimples on her lower back. She ran her fingers from dimple to dimple before wrapping her arms around the sleeping woman.

"Good morning," she whispered in Asami's ear.

Asami let out a groan as she stretched and slowly woke up. "Good morning. What time is it?"

"It's a little after nine."

"I know we _should_ get up, but I don't _want_ to get up." She turned so she was facing Korra. "I mean, I'm in bed with the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on. Why would I want to get up?"

"Me, beautiful? Have you looked in a mirror?"

Asami smiled. "Shut up." She gently pushed Korra on to her back and moved to straddle her hips. The sheet fell away, exposing all of Asami to Korra. She placed her hands on Korra's lower belly and slowly moved them up and over her muscles. "I like you for more than just your body, but _damn_ , do you have a beautiful body."

"Says the angel sitting naked on me."

Asami laughed. "'Angel,' huh? Well, if I'm an angel, then you're a warrior goddess of ancient Greece. Tough, brave, and so gorgeous that all the men and women want you. The poets would run out of words to describe all the wonder than you encompass. The sculptors would go insane because all the marble they carved never looked as strong and beautiful as the real you."

Korra grasped her hips and laughed. "You're so schmaltzy!"

"All part of my charm."

Korra sat up and wrapped her arms around her. "I love it."

Just as she started to kiss Asami's breast, the bedroom door opened, Senna walking in. "Girls, I-- _oh, my God!_ "

Korra grabbed a pillow to cover both her and Asami. "Oh, good morning, Mother. I'm sure you're wonderin' why Asami and I are naked..."

Senna covered her eyes. "No, I'm not!" she said, running out and shutting the door behind her.

Korra looked up at Asami. "So I suppose that's an eighty-six to the morning sex, huh?"

* * *

Korra and Asami sat across the table from Tonraq and Senna, Senna and the girls trying hard not to look at one another from embarrassment. Tonraq looked between them and cleared his throat. "Well, now, we're all adults here, and I think we should be able to talk about this rationally."

Asami kept her eyes down. "We didn't mean for you to find out this way."

Tonraq looked at Senna, who was still red and keeping her eyes down from embarrassment. "Well, it's not like we didn't have an inkling you two were... _intimate_ ," he said.

"I said they must've been jumping on the bed!" Senna said.

"They're in their twenties, honey," Tonraq said.

"Wait!" Korra held up her hands. "You two could hear us?"

Senna managed to look up at her. "Oh, Korra, sweetie, your bed has a metal frame and creaks when the wind blows too hard through the window. _Of course_ we heard you."

"Look," Asami said, "if this is something you two do not approve of, I can go back home."

Senna sighed. "No, no, it's not that we don't _approve_..."

"We just hoped that you two could have told us you had feelings for each other," Tonraq said. "We didn't want you to think you had to sneak around."

"We weren't sneaking around exactly," Korra said. "We just-- I dunno."

Asami looked at her and reached for her hand. "I suppose we were waiting for the right time?"

Korra nodded. "Yeah, what she said."

There was a rush of relief when they heard a knock on the screen door. "Telegram!"

Korra could see Kai, the telegram delivery boy, from where she was sitting. "Come in, Kai."

Kai walked in and went over to the table. His hair was dusted with dirt and wind blown, and Asami couldn't tell exactly how old he was, but she figured he was around Jinora's age. His skin was about as brown as Korra's, and she could see the mischievous look in his dark green eyes. He was skinny, like the other kids in town, but he didn't look sickly.

Senna smiled up at him. "Kai, would you like some milk and cookies? We have enough to spare."

Kai's face lit up. "You do? Oh, yes, ma'am, I'll take some milk and cookies!" He sat down in Senna's place when she got up. "Since I can't be goofin', I have a telegram here for an Asami Sato?" He looked at Asami. "I assume that's you, miss?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He reached in his satchel and handed her the telegram. "Here you go."

She read it over:

LOS ANGELES CALIF 12 602A                          1935 APR 12 AM 6 02

MISS ASAMI SATO  
120 SOUTH AVE REPUBLIC CITY OKLA

ENOUGH DALLYING. RETURN TO LOS ANGELES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SENT ZHU LI TO CHICAGO BY PLANE TO DISCUSS MERGER. YOU NEED TO RETURN HOME. I WILL HAVE A PLANE SENT IF NECESSARY. YOU HAVE A DUTY TO ME, THE COMPANY, AND IROH.

HIROSHI SATO

Asami crumpled the telegram and got up to toss it in the trash. Korra looked at her when she sat back down. "Bad news?"

Asami shook her head. "No, it was nothing." She looked at Kai. "Do you happen to have any blank slips I can send back with you?"

He nodded. "Sure." He handed her a slip and a pen.

 **To:**       _Hiroshi Sato_                                                                           _April 12_ **19** _35_

 **Street and No.** _5165 Santa Monica Blvd_                      **Destination** _Los Angeles, California_

_Don't bother sending a plane. I'm staying indefinitely._

_Your daughter, Asami_

**Sender's name and address** _Asami Sato. 120 South Ave. Republic City, Oklahoma_

She handed Kai the slip and pen back. "Thank you."

Asami could feel Korra's eyes on her, but she didn't look back at her.

* * *

"What did the telegram say?"

Korra and Asami were walking in to town to the store to help Bolin and Mako take inventory, but Korra couldn't stop thinking about the look on Asami's face when she read the telegram.

Asami was walking a little ahead of her but didn't turn when she said, "Nothing."

"It ain't 'nothing.' Your father's mad you're still here, isn't he?"

Asami stopped and turned to face her. "So what if he is? I'm almost twenty-two. Plus, I'm his only heir. What is he going to do?"

"Then go back and smooth things out with him."

Asami balled her hands in to fists. "I-- I can't. I don't want to, and he can't make me!"

Korra sighed. "You know, if you had stomped your foot, I'd say you were being a brat."

"I am _not_ being a brat."

Korra stuck her hands in her pockets and kicked at the ground. "What's this _really_ about, Asami? Why don't you want to go home? And don't say it's because of me."

Asami looked down and moved to sit on the curb. "I-- I'm engaged."

" _What?_ " Korra wanted to throw up and faint all at once. "You're _engaged?_ Then what the hell have you been doing with me? _What the fucking hell, Asami?_ "

Asami kept her head down. "It's not official, and more of a business alliance than anything else. One of my father's smaller competitors, Sozin Aviation and Auto, wants to partner together, have Future Industries absorb their company, but on the condition I agree to marry their C.E.O.'s only son, as a way to keep him in the business. It's-- I was so mad when my father agreed. We had been so close, and I thought he knew me better than that. Iroh-- that's the son-- he's a handsome man, but he's quite a bit older, and he's too serious for my liking. I agreed to go to Chicago to get more details about the merger and attempt to spend time with Iroh in hopes of seeing if I could like him more, but then I stopped here and I met you..." Her stomach clenched from Korra's long silence. " _Please_ say something."

She took a deep breath and said, "I want you gone."

Asami was back on her feet. "What?"

Korra stared hard at her, not a trace of affection in her eyes. "You _lied_ to me, Asami. I want you gone."

"I didn't lie to you! I may have withheld information, but I didn't lie!"

"Don't give me that baloney! Pack your shit and get out of my house, get out of my town, _get out of my life!_ "

Korra started walking towards the store, and she stopped when Asami said, "So, that's it then? Yesterday, you couldn't keep your hands off of me."

She didn't turn around. "Yeah, well, that was yesterday, wasn't it?"

"What about the things you said to me this morning? About feeling close to me?"

Korra continued to keep her back to Asami. "Yeah, well, fuck all that. You can fuck off to your fiancé."

Asami watched her walk away as her tears began to fall. She turned on her heel and took off running back to the house. She ignored Senna when she heard her ask if everything was okay, and she shut the bedroom door behind her before she started packing her two suitcases. When she finished, she didn't speak to Senna or Tonraq as she walked out, and she was quick to pack her Duesenberg. She tried not to look back as she drove away from town. She knew, deep down, she should have been upfront with Korra, but at the same time, she wasn't _officially_ engaged, and she really did care about her.

"You're just a foolish girl who got swept up in a passionate romance," she said to herself. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Asami was a couple of miles outside of town when she saw the darkened sky. _Black blizzard_. She was ready to turn around and seek shelter, but she decided not to. _Fuck it, I'll drive through it._ She turned on the headlights and continued driving. It didn't take long for her to meet the duster head on, and she realized she had to stop. The road was completely gone, and the headlights did nothing for visibility. Plus, the inside of the car was filling with dust, making it harder to see and breathe. She stopped the car and shut off the engine. She curled up on her side on the front bench seat, and she started to cry. She was alone, completely alone in a black blizzard. And this one was perhaps worse than the first one she experienced. The dirt was darker, the winds stronger.

Her lungs felt heavy, and her throat dried up from the dust inhalation. She started coughing, which made her chest hurt more. Eyes burned. Tears only made mud on her face. At any moment it felt the duster would pick up the Duesenberg and send it all the way to Mexico. The soft top of the car could only stand so much of the winds, and a small part pulled back a little, sending more dust into the car. Asami kept her face down, as she didn't have a wet cloth to shield her nose and mouth with.

_This is it. This is how I die. I can see the papers now: "Asami Sato Dies in Duster From Choking on Dirt."_

Her cough worsened to the point she felt sharp pains along her ribs, especially on her back. She hadn't coughed this much since she was a kid and had tuberculosis. Suddenly, she threw up on to the floor of the car, her coughing and gagging making it all the worse. It looked more like mud than anything else.

_I'm throwing up mud. I'm not only choking on the stuff but also ingesting it and throwing it up._

Finally, after what felt like hours, the storm let up. The inside of the car was coated in dust. As was Asami. Her eyes burned, and her back was killing her. She was coughing up more dirt and blood, due to her throat being so raw and dry. Still, she had to continue on, at least to Boise City. She turned the key, but the car shorted out.

_Right. The static electricity. I have to walk back to Republic City._

But where would she go? She couldn't go back to Korra, and she wouldn't impose on Pastor Tenzin and Pema. Maybe Mako and Bolin? Would they help her after what happened with Korra? She was sure they knew by now what had happened. Still, they were her best option (actually, Kya was a better option, but she had no idea where she lived). Asami opened the door and got out. She locked the car and made her way down the road back to town.

* * *

Mako had prepared the leftover lamb chops and steamed vegetables from Senna's dinner for him and Bolin to eat that night. They had just come back upstairs from the cellar after the duster rolled through, and both were hungry. Bolin had the radio on, listening to _Dick Tracy_ , but he turned it off when he heard a knock and cry for help at the door.

"What was that?" Mako asked.

Bolin went to the door, not seeing anyone through the peep hole, but he could hear hands lightly hitting the door and someone sobbing. He opened it to find a dirt covered Asami. He caught her when she fell forward, and she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Don't...tell Korra...I'm still...here," she wheezed.

Then she passed out. Bolin lifted her up in his arms and looked at his brother. "What do we do?"

"Go lie her down on one of the beds. I'm going to get Kya."

Bolin nodded and took her in to the bedroom he and Mako shared. He set her down on his bed (boy, was he glad he made his bed that morning), making sure she wouldn't be able to choke or anything if she started coughing. What happened to her? Her face was streaked with mud and what looked like dried blood (probably from her lip), and her legs and hands were scraped up. Her floral sundress looked like it had been blasted with dirt.

"Oh, no," he muttered. "You were caught in the duster, weren't you?"

He got up to get a clean washcloth and bowl of water. He set the bowl on his bedside table, and he wet the towel so he could clean her face. Mako and Kya returned a few minutes later. Bolin had cleaned her face, but her arms and legs were still covered in dirt.

"Boys, if you could wait outside the room, I'd appreciate it," Kya said.

Both nodded and left the bedroom, Bolin closing the door behind them. Kya set to work examining Asami, and she sat back when Asami staring waking up. " _My back_ ," she groaned.

"Asami? It's me, Kya. Can you tell me what happened?"

She coughed and winced. "It _hurts_. So much dust. My ribs."

Kya helped her turn on her side so she could look at her back. She gently ran her fingers along Asami's ribs, and when she touched one that was popping out further than the others, Asami yelped in pain. She noticed there were a couple of ribs that looked out of place.

"Oh, dear, it seems you 'popped out' a rib. Take a deep breath."

She felt where the rib was out of place, and when Asami took a deep breath, Kya pushed it back in place. Asami screamed out in pain, which caused her to have a coughing fit. When Kya heard her gagging, she picked up the little trashcan by the door and brought it to the bedside. Asami's coughing fit caused her to throw up again.

"Asami, I hate to do this, but I have to pop your other ribs back in to place." Kya took the washcloth and cleaned it off in the bowl. She pulled it up and held it by Asami's mouth. "Bite down on this, okay?"

Asami nodded and took the towel between her teeth. She tried not to scream again when Kya popped the next rib back in to place, instead biting down hard on the towel. She passed out again by the time Kya popped the last rib back in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sato mansion address, 5165 Santa Monica Boulevard, is actually one number off from Leland Monroe's address in _L.A. Noire_.


	5. California Dreamin' on Such a Dusty Day

**Five: California Dreamin' on Such a Dusty Day**

_Saturday, April 13, 1935_   
_Republic City, Oklahoma_

Korra cursed when her shin hit the coffee table. It was dark in the house as she went to answer the knock at the door, so she turned on a lamp. She wasn't sure why she was bothering, but at the same time, if someone was knocking after midnight, it had to be something important or an emergency.

She answered the front door and was surprised (and a little irritated) to see it was Bolin. "Bolin? It's after midnight. What--"

His eyes were wide, and he looked scared. "It's Asami."

She felt her chest clench. Her voice trembled as she said, "I don't give a shit." _Yes, you do._

Bolin stopped her from shutting the door on him. "She was caught in the duster. She's in _really_ bad shape. Korra, I'm scared, and I think she needs you."

Korra clenched her jaw and looked down. "Well, that's too bad. I still don't care." _Yes, you do._

Bolin looked ready to cry. "Korra?" He took a deep breath. "She's at the gym hospital."

Korra clenched her fist and tried hard not to stamp her foot. "Why don't you give her fiancé in Chicago a ring? I'm sure _he'll_ help her."

Bolin stopped her from shutting the door again. "What's going on, Korra? This isn't like you. You're not this much of a jackass."

If it was anyone else, she would have slugged them, but this was big, loveable Bolin. She didn't have the heart to give him one to the jaw. "Asami lied to me, Bolin. She broke my heart, so I told her to leave and that I never wanted to see her again."

"Was the lie so bad? What did she lie about?"

"She lied about being engaged."

Bolin's brows raised. "Engaged?"

Korra crossed her arms. "Yeah, something about her dad getting her engaged to some rich guy for business or something."

Bolin suddenly lit up. "So it wasn't her choice! It's not like she's in love with the guy, right?"

Korra shook her head. "I don't care. She still lied to me."

Bolin lowered his voice. "You know..." He sighed, hesitating for a moment before he went on, "You know this isn't like what happened with Mako."

She shot him a hard, angered look. "Don't you _dare_."

Bolin sighed and stepped back. "Okay. Well, if you change your mind, she's at the gym hospital. Kya's going to get her stable before she can leave for California."

"Good riddance."

With that, Korra shut the door. She turned off the lamp and went back to bed. She cursed herself for not changing the sheets. A couple of long black hairs were on the other pillow, and Korra could smell Asami's perfume and sweat in the sheets. She tried to shove the memories of Asami's naked body out of her mind...how her skin felt against hers, how she tasted, how it felt holding her close, the way her hair was always soft, how the feel of her lips always sent chills down her back. If it wasn't Asami's body she was thinking off, Asami's laugh and smile and the way she would light up when talking about engines and egghead stuff would pop in.

_Stop it, brain. I don't want to think about that liar._

Bolin's voice then popped in. _This isn't like what happened with Mako._

_I'm aware of that, Bolin. Get out of my head._

But it _wasn't_ like what had happened with Mako all those years ago. Still, Korra swore to herself she wouldn't be hurt again by someone she really cared about, someone she could have fallen in love with, someone she would have tried so hard to have a future with. And she did feel strongly for Asami. They may have only known one another for a few days, but Korra _did_ feel close to her, as if they had known one another for years. Asami was not just beautiful on the outside, but she was on the inside, too. She was caring, warm, patient, so _damn_ smart, and she was strong. Not many people managed to get up after Kuvira punched them. If Asami hadn't mentioned the engagement...no, if she _wasn't_ engaged (or arranged to be engaged), and they had more time together, Korra really could have fallen in love with her. How could anyone not fall in love with the charming, intelligent, gorgeous Asami Sato?

That's when it hit her.

Korra sat up and sighed. " _Goddammit_."

* * *

It was a little after eight in the morning when Korra walked in the gym. She checked in at the nurse's station and was handed a face mask. She put it on and followed a nurse to Asami's bed. She stopped when she saw Asami. She was on her side, coughing over the side of the bed in what she assumed was a bedpan another nurse was holding, and Korra could see she was hooked up to an IV. Kya was sitting on her other side, gently rubbing her exposed back. The hospital gown was open to her waist, but Korra could see the white linen pants she was wearing underneath. Kya noticed her and leaned down to say something to Asami before she stood up and walked towards Korra. Kya gestured for her to follow her out, and they stepped outside.

"Bolin said she was caught in a duster," Korra said after she pulled off her mask.

Kya nodded. "It was very bad, but she'll be okay in a day or so with plenty of rest, fluids, and medication. Though, her lung capacity will permanently be even less than it was."

Korra looked down and kicked at the ground. "Why is it so bad? It's not like she's been living in this for years."

"Tuberculosis," Kya said.

"She has tuberculosis?"

Kya shook her head. "She did when she was a child. I did an x-ray last night, and her lungs are in horrible shape. They're very scarred, and her occasional smoking habit didn't help. She's just as sensitive to these dust storms as the young and elderly who've lived here all these years, but she'll heal much faster, since she hasn't been exposed to the dust for long."

Korra hesitated for a moment before she said, "She told me her mother died from tuberculosis."

Kya nodded. "Yes. She said they had been sick at the same time, but she survived while her mother didn't."

Korra looked down. "I didn't know that."

Kya reached out and put her hand on Korra's shoulder. "I think she would like to see you."

Korra took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Korra put the mask back on over her nose and mouth, and she followed Kya back in. Asami was lying back on her pillows, propped up a little, and she looked paler than normal. She was breathing through her mouth, and Korra could hear her deep wheezing. Asami noticed Korra walking towards her, and she turned her head away.

"I tried...to...leave," she wheezed.

Korra sat down beside her. "I know, and...I'm sorry." Asami turned her head back to look at her. "I shouldn't have yelled at you and told you to leave. I-- I should have talked it out with you."

"What?"

"I..." She took a deep breath. "When I was seventeen, Mako and I dated for about six months. The Mako I dated then wasn't the Mako I know and am friends with now. A month in, he-- he cheated on me off and on with the same girl. When I found out, I got so mad, and if not for Bolin, I would have done something that would have had Beifong throw me in the jailhouse." She looked down. "I hadn't been with anyone romantically since then," she looked up and caught Asami's eyes, "until you. I didn't want to be with anyone because I was afraid they'd lie to me like Mako did. What he did really fucked me up. Then-- then I met you, and I fell _hard_. The feelings I got for you were nothing like what I felt with Mako." She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Then I find out you kept something big from me, and I suddenly felt so used, and I felt lied to. I-- I was punchy, like I sometimes get, and I lashed out. I'm...I'm so sorry, Asami. I know you being engaged wasn't your doing, and you wouldn't have been caught in that duster if I hadn't been such a--"

" _Shh_." Asami sat up and took Korra's hand in hers. "I...didn't know...any of...that. If I did...I wouldn't...have...done...any of what...I did...with you."

Korra shushed her this time and gently pushed her back on the pillows. "Don't talk. Rest your lungs."

Asami made a writing gesture, and Korra handed her the notepad and pencil sitting on the bedside table. Asami scribbled something down and handed the pad to Korra. _I'll understand if you still don't want to continue what we had, but just know that the few days we spent together were some of the best in my life._

Korra smiled. "Must've been a boring life."

Asami smiled and tried hard not to laugh. She took the notepad back and wrote something else before handing it back. _It has been_.

Korra took her hand in hers. "If you weren't engaged and didn't have to go back to California, I would want to continue what we had, but..."

Asami squeezed her hand and nodded. "I...understand."

"I'm sorry."

Asami took the notepad and wrote something. _I am, too. I never meant to hurt you, Korra. I did come to care about you a lot. I think in time I could have fallen in love with you._

Korra felt her eyes water. "I think I could have fallen in love with you, too."

She was taken by surprise when Asami sat up, pulled her mask down, and pulled her in for a kiss. "Fuck...the...engage...ment. Fuck...Cali...fornia. I...want...to be here...with you."

Korra pressed her forehead against hers. "I want you here, too, but I can't let you fuck up your life like that."

"Maybe...I want to...'fuck up' my...life...with you."

"But your lungs. Even if you could stay, you shouldn't be here. You need clean air, like back in California."

Asami smiled. "Clean air...in...Los...Angeles?"

"I take it Los Angeles isn't that clean?"

"Car...exhaust. Smog. Lot...of it."

Korra kissed her cheek and held her for a long, quiet moment. She ended the peaceful silence when she said, "When-- when Kya releases you, would you like to come home with me and let me help you heal up?"

Asami nodded and smiled. "Yes...please."

"I'll walk home and get the truck. Unless you left your car somewhere."

Asami shook her head. "Shorted...out. I...left it...a couple of...miles outside...of town...west."

Korra nodded. "I'll tow it home. Monday I'll take it by the Red Lotus Garage, see if Zaheer can take a look at it."

"Thanks."

The nurse walked up and smiled at both. "Sorry, Korra, but it's time for Miss Sato to take her medicine and get some rest."

Korra kissed Asami's forehead before she got up. "I'll be back later, okay?"

Asami nodded and waved goodbye, and Korra headed out, handing her mask back to the nurse at the front desk. She walked down Main Street, passing the store, but instead of stopping to see the boys, she continued on towards home. She heard someone walking behind her, and she didn't think much of it until they spoke.

"So, your little girlfriend's dying. Makes room for me."

Korra stopped and turned to face Kuvira. "Fuck off."

Kuvira moved closer. "I said I would have you, and I _will_ have you."

Before she could reach out and grab Korra, Korra sent her fist towards her face. Her knuckles made contact with Kuvira's jaw, and she went down. Korra stood over her, fist still clenched.

"That was for Asami. Now, leave me the fuck alone."

Korra left her wailing on the ground as she continued on her way home. She didn't give Kuvira a second thought, and she got in the truck and headed west down Main Street to find the Duesenberg. She found it about four miles outside of town. _She walked five miles to Mako and Bolin's apartment_ , Korra realized. She felt worse, and she distracted herself with hitching the Duesenberg to her truck. The Duesenberg was a bit bigger than her '28 Model A, but her little blue Ford could haul and tow quite the load.

Korra got back in the truck and headed towards home, hoping Asami would be ready to come home soon.

* * *

Kya cleared Asami for release that night when she had stopped coughing up dirt for a few hours and was no longer wheezing as much, thanks to the anti-inflammatory medications she was given. Korra brought her back to the house in the truck and carried her inside to the bedroom. She had made the bedroom as dust-free as she could, and she put a freshly damp sheet over the open window. Korra stepped out to get Asami some broth and water, and she turned to see Senna and Tonraq both staring at her with concern.

"Honey, what is going on?" Senna asked. "Yesterday, Asami was running out of here in tears, and now you're nursing her back to health?"

Korra didn't want to divulge _too_ much to them, not knowing if Asami wanted it getting out about her business engagement (even though she did tell Bolin last night, but she doubted he would spread it around). "We had a really bad fight, but we've worked it out now. We're fine."

"What happened to her?" Senna asked.

Korra looked down and sighed. "She got caught in the duster. Her lungs were already in bad shape from having tuberculosis when she was a kid, but she's doing a lot better now."

There was a silent moment before Tonraq said, "You know you can always talk to us."

Korra nodded. "I know, Dad. Thanks. I'm going to go heat up some chicken broth for Asami."

She went down to the cellar to get a can of broth and came back up to the kitchen. The broth was quick to heat up on the stove, and she got a tray to carry the bowl and a glass of water back to the bedroom. Asami was sitting up and reading, and she closed her book when she heard Korra walk in.

Korra set the tray down over Asami's lap. "What're you reading?"

Asami held up her book. "A collection of poems by John Donne." She still had a little bit of a wheeze, but the anti-inflammatory Kya prescribed really helped her breathing. She even had some of her color back, her cheeks pink.

Korra moved to the other side of the bed and kicked off her boots. She sat beside Asami and asked, "Want me to read some of those to you?"

Asami handed her the book. "If you'd like."

Korra opened the book, and her brows raised. "What the hell kind of writing is this?"

Asami smiled. "He was a seventeenth century poet from England, if that explains it." She kissed her cheek. "We can read them together when I'm less wheezy."

Korra nuzzled her nose against the side of Asami's head. "I'll hold you to that."

Asami sipped on her broth, and they sat in silence, Korra resting her head on Asami's shoulder. The wind blew against the damp sheet a couple of times, and Korra closed her eyes, feeling content. She heard Asami take her medication, and she opened her eyes to see the bowl was empty. She got up to move the tray to the floor, leaving the glass of water on the bedside table, and she sat back down on the bed beside Asami.

"Would you visit me in Los Angeles?" Asami asked after a while.

Korra took her hand in hers, careful when she grasped it since it was Asami's injured hand. "I'd love to." She smiled and rested her head back on Asami's shoulder. "What would we do?"

Asami took a drink of her water and cleared her throat. "We would have dinner at Musso and Frank's before we went dancing at a club on Hollywood Boulevard." She paused to take a deep breath. "And we would go to the Santa Monica Pier and ride the roller coaster and eat corn dogs all day. Then we'll stroll the beach at sunset." She paused again to catch her breath. "We'll take an afternoon and sit in Pershing Square, take in the sights and sounds of downtown. We'll shop at Bullocks Wilshire and see what movie stars we can spot." She gave Korra's hand a squeeze. "Or we could stay in my large bed all day and night, just making love and talking and holding one another. My apartment _does_ have a view of the Hollywoodland sign."

"Fancy." Korra wrapped her arms around Asami's waist and held her close. "All of that sounds amazing. Can we go to one of them fancy movie premieres?"

Asami chuckled and coughed a little. "Absolutely. You know, I've only been to one movie premiere."

"Really?"

"Yes." She cleared her throat and took a drink. "When I was nine, Father got tickets to the first ever movie premiere. It was _Robin Hood_. We went to Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, where the premiere was and we saw the film." She paused and took a deep breath. "Afterwards, Father surprised me when he took me to Carpenter's Sandwich drive-in. Best food my nine year old self ever had. Posh food isn't exactly child-friendly." She coughed a little. "I had a barbeque beef sandwich and a ginger ale. Father had the 'real hamburger sandwich,' and we shared a coconut custard pie, right there in his 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost." She paused to take a deep breath. "Oh, that was a _beautiful_ car. It was a lovely cream color. We certainly had some looks our way while we ate sandwiches and pie in a Rolls-Royce, Father in his best tuxedo and me in my fancy little dress and big bow in my hair."

Korra smiled when she saw Asami light up as she talked about her father. This was the same man who was making her marry a man she barely knew, just for a business arrangement? From the things Asami had told her before, it seemed her Father not only cherished her but also respected her. She assumed, from how Asami told it, most rich fathers would have married their daughters off right away, but he sent her to college, wanted her to have an education.

"I take it you two were close," Korra said.

Asami nodded. "After Mother died, I hardly left my father's side. When I showed interest in engineering and what he did at work, we became closer. I had more fun in the factories, learning how planes were built than I did at school. I looked forward to every school break when I could come home and spend time with him at the factories and office." She paused to catch her breath. "I understood when I was older that he sent me away so that I could get an excellent education, and he wouldn't have to worry about me while he was working. We phoned each other often and wrote letters back and forth. He would tell me about new designs, and I would tell him how my courses were going. Same thing when I left for Radcliffe. But," her face fell and she looked down, "when I was done with college, I don't know. Our relationship was different. My father was both my parent and a friend when I was younger, but he became distant. Things worsened when I found out about the deal with Sozin Aviation and Auto."

"I take it he wouldn't like me much then, huh? The ruffian takin' his daughter away."

"Oh, he may have liked you when we were kids, but you being the woman who stole my heart when I have a 'duty' to the business?"

"And an Okie."

Asami sighed. "As much as I want to say he wouldn't care about that, I can't." She shook her head. "Honestly, I don't even know anymore." She took a deep breath, her chest feeling more and more light. "The medicine seems to be working very well. I feel a little short of breath, but my chest isn't heavy. Talking and breathing are easier."

Korra moved up so she could better look at Asami, and she kept her arm draped over Asami's waist. "Kya mentioned your lungs were in a bad way. You don't have to talk about it if-- if you don't want to."

Asami shook her head. "It's fine." She took a drink of water. "It was mid-summer of 1919. Not long after my birthday, I came down with a really bad cough. Soon, I was feverish, fatigued, didn't want to eat, and I had horrible night sweats. It wasn't until I started coughing up blood that Mother and Father knew I had tuberculosis. Mother refused to leave my side. She would hold me through the night, try to get me to eat what I could, and the doctor suggested I go to a sanatorium. Mother wouldn't have it. She didn't want to be separated because she wouldn't have been allowed to stay with me at the sanatorium." She paused for a deep breath. "But a day or so after I was sent to the sanatorium, Mother was too. She contracted the tuberculosis from me." Korra saw the look in her eyes. _She's feeling guilty_. "The nurses allowed Mother to be in the bed beside mine, but they would get upset because she was always getting up to check on me. Then..."

Asami sniffled, and Korra held her tighter. "You don't have to tell me, if it's upsetting you."

"No, no, it's okay. It's better if I talk about it." She took a deep breath. "It was a week before Thanksgiving. I was getting better, but Mother...looking back on it, I know she was dying before my eyes, but as a six year old, I didn't think that. I was outside with the other children being treated for our daily time outside. I remember seeing some nurses running towards the women's dorm, and I found myself running after them. I..." She sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks. Korra reached up and wiped them away with her fingers. "I just _knew_. I ran to my mother's bed, despite my chest pain, and I saw the doctor put the sheet over her face and give the time of death. Next thing I remember, I'm on top of my mother, bawling and holding her. I begged her to wake up. The nurses try to pull me off of her, but I was holding too tight. 'She's asleep!' I kept yelling at them. 'She'll wake up!'" Asami swallowed and took a deep breath, Korra wiping more tears away. "She was so cold."

Korra moved so she was cradling Asami's head against her chest. "Oh, Asami, I-- I'm so sorry."

She sniffled. "It was sixteen years ago, but the memory is still vivid. Father had her cremated and placed her urn in the family mausoleum. I was discharged from the sanatorium days before the funeral. Father was happy I was well again, but Mother was gone. If I--" She stopped.

Korra had an idea of what she was thinking. "You know it wasn't your fault."

Asami pulled back to look at her with wet eyes. " _Of course_ it was, Korra. She wouldn't have contracted tuberculosis if I hadn't been sick."

Korra cupped her cheeks in her hands and wiped the tears away with her thumbs. "Asami, you were _six years old_. You didn't have no control on the tuberculosis, and your mother loved you so much she wasn't gonna leave your side. She obviously didn't care that she coulda gotten sick."

Asami pulled back. "Let's-- can we just go to sleep?"

Korra didn't move from her spot. "I'm sorry I brought all this up. I didn't mean for you to cry."

"I know, Korra, but..." She sighed. "In a way, it feels a little better getting this all out. Thank you."

Korra nodded. "You're welcome." She got up. "I'm gonna take the tray to the kitchen and then get ready for bed. You need anything?"

Asami shook her head and moved to lie down on the pillow. "No, I'm fine."

She closed her eyes and heard Korra walk out. Her chest suddenly felt even lighter. Perhaps letting all of that out really did help. She hoped so, anyway. She felt Korra get in bed beside her a little while later, and Asami turned on her side to snuggle against her. Sleep came fast, as did the pleasant dreams of her and Korra being happy and together in Los Angeles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _"I was punchy, like I sometimes get..."_ \- In this context, the 1930s slang word "punchy" meant "A condition of confusion or high anxiety."
> 
> _Asami smiled. "Clean air...in...Los...Angeles?"_ \- I know that in the 1940s the air pollution in Los Angeles was beyond horrible. I assume it was pretty bad in the mid-1930s, too.


	6. There Goes the State of Oklahoma

**Six: There Goes the State of Oklahoma**

_April 14, 1935 - Palm Sunday  
Republic City, Oklahoma_

Korra woke when she heard the shower turn off. She realized she was alone in bed, and just as she sat up, Asami stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing a light purple silk nightgown as she towel dried her hair, and she smiled at Korra.

"Good morning."

Korra smiled back, noticing how much better Asami looked. "Mornin'. Feelin' better, I take it?"

Asami sat down on the bed by Korra's feet. "Oh, much. I took my medicine when I got up, and while in the shower, I coughed up whatever was left in my lungs, and my chest felt so much better! I'm still short of breath, but I can breathe better."

Korra gently brushed her fingers down her cheek. "You look better--" She realized how bad that might have sounded. "I mean, you don't look so sick, y'know?"

Asami laughed. "It's okay, Korra, I understand. I did look like death." She leaned forward to give Korra a kiss. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Korra shrugged. "Not a whole lot. It's Sunday, so most folks are either at church or at home. Most everything closes. We could go to the store, which is open, or we could go for a stroll, maybe see a picture." She felt her face warm when she remembered what happened last time they went to the movies.

Asami smirked. "I may consider that last one, if we do anything like we did last time we went to the movies." She stood up and continued towel drying her hair. "I may take a look at my car, though. Does your father sell automotive supplies in the store? Like vehicle batteries?"

Korra shook her head. "Nope. You'd have to wait until tomorrow when the garage is open. Ming-Hua might sell you one."

Asami nodded. "Well, I suppose the car can wait 'til tomorrow."

They both turned when they heard a hard knock followed by Senna speaking loudly, "Girls, I am knocking to let you know I am right here! If it is okay for me to come in, please let me know!"

Korra shook her head and felt her face warm for a very, very different reason than before. "You can come in, Ma. We're clothed."

Senna slowly opened the door, and she relaxed when she saw they were not only clothed but standing fairly far apart. She smiled when she saw how well Asami looked. "Feeling better?"

"Much."

"Good. Letting you girls know that breakfast is ready. Oatmeal, toast, and sausages."

Korra felt her stomach rumble. She hadn't had sausage in a long, long time, and she knew the oatmeal was the good quality kind and that her mother had put cinnamon and sugar in it. The oatmeal they'd have during the hard times was hardly edible and lacked flavor, but now, thanks to Asami, they would be having the quality oats.

"Thanks, Ma. We'll be out soon. I'm going to wash my face, and I'm sure Asami wants to dry her hair."

Senna nodded and stepped out. After Korra and Asami were done getting ready for the day, they joined Senna and Tonraq at the table, Tonraq serving their bowls. Korra could smell the cinnamon, her mouth watering, and she grabbed some sausage and toast to put on her little plate. Tonraq said grace, and the four then enjoyed their breakfast. All of the windows in the house were open, as was the front door (though the screen door was shut), and the sheets had been taken down. The sky outside was clear and blue and there was no wind to blow the dust around. A perfect spring morning.

"It's such a beautiful Sunday," Senna said. "Just perfect. Let's go to the eight-thirty Palm Sunday service."

Tonraq nodded and looked at Asami. "Asami, would you like to join us?"

Asami didn't have the heart to tell them she wasn't really the church-going type, so she nodded. "Absolutely. Thank you."

After breakfast, Korra and Asami cleaned up the table and kitchen, and they went to get ready for church. Asami opted for the blue floral sundress, which she had yet to wear, and she slipped on her saddle shoes. She kept her makeup light, and she pulled her hair back in to a loose ponytail. She smiled when she saw Korra, who was wearing a pretty, light blue, sleeveless dress, and Korra also opted for her (rarely worn) saddle shoes.

"I only wear dresses for formal occasions, like church," Korra said. "What d'you think?"

Asami smiled. "You look beautiful as always."

Before they left, Asami took one of her anti-inflammatory pills, and she went ahead and put the bottle in her little purse in case she needed them later. The four walked a couple of blocks past other houses until they came up to the little white church, taking advantage of the gorgeous, clear day. Pastor Tenzin and his wife, Pema, were standing outside and greeting everyone that was walking in. When they spotted Korra's family, Tenzin reached out to shake Tonraq's hand as Senna moved to give Pema tight hug.

"Korra!" three little voices shouted.

Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan all ran towards her, the boys jumping on her as Ikki hugged her around the waist. Korra easily held the boys up before she set Meelo down. She continued to hold little Rohan.

"Sit up front with us, Korra! Please?" Ikki asked.

"If your parents say it's okay for us to be up front."

Pema waved her off. "You're family. You're always welcome to sit with us."

Asami followed everyone inside, and she sat between Senna and Korra. Pema was at the end, the kids between her and Korra, and Tonraq was on Senna's other side. Asami wished she had brought something to fan herself with. The open windows did little to stifle the heat in the small building, and she felt the sweat roll down her neck and back. She sat along to the hymns, Korra holding the hymn book for them, and she listened as different scriptures were read. She was pleasantly surprised when, during the sermon, Korra gently took her hand in hers. It was an innocent gesture, but it made Asami smile. She moved her hand so she and Korra could link fingers.

As Tenzin spoke, Asami realized she really enjoyed listening to him speak. It would have been easy for him to be negative; his daughter was sent to Kansas City so she would survive, and their town was covered in dust, but he wasn't. Instead, he was thankful that this Palm Sunday, one week before Easter and the holiest time of the year, was such a beautiful Sunday. The only thing that would make it more wondrous would be a good rainfall to make the fields green again. Keep faith and continue to support and love one another. Things could only get better.

After the service, Korra and Asami went back to the house so Korra change in to her trousers, a button down shirt, and her boots, and the two decided to take a stroll to continue taking advantage of the beautiful day. They walked along one of the dirt roads outside of town, and Korra stopped at a wooden fence that was around what Asami assumed used to be a farmer's field. Instead of grass or crops, it was a sea of dark sand dunes.

"This used to be all grassland," Korra said, leaning on the fence. "There'd be the occasional farm, small ones, but then people from out east all flocked in to make money on farming. They plowed and plowed all the grassland until it was all wheat. Then we had drought and the dust storms came..." She sighed. "This all used to be such beautiful land."

Asami moved closer to her. "It will be again."

"I hope so."

Asami remembered seeing ads in the newspapers when she and her father went to New York City on a business trip once when she was a kid. They went when she was on summer break, not only to spend time together but also so Asami could get a feel for business meetings and trips. She remembered reading the paper in one office waiting room, happy to be away from the noise and smells of the city. Ads declaring that _you_ could own your own piece of the Great Plains! Cash in on the post-war agriculture boom! That was a lie, her father told her. The war caused the boom, but it was over. There were no more soldiers to feed.

"I feel bad for the poor bastards that fall for that," her father had said, reading over her shoulder

"Why?" she asked.

He lit his cigar and then said, "The government is not going to give them the good land that's already been settled, and even if they could farm, there's no demand for more wheat."

"'Cause there's no war," she said. "And President Mr. Coolidge is making everything good, right? So no one needs for anything, right?"

Her father chuckled. "Yes, honey, President Mr. Coolidge is making everything good."

"What about us?" she asked. "Is there demand for planes?"

He gently patted her on the back. "There's always demand in new and innovative technologies, m'dear. Man's dream was to fly. Now that we can, there will always be a demand for aviation."

Asami broke away from her memories when she felt Korra's hand take hers. "Thanks for being here," Korra said.

"Nowhere else I want to be."

They shared a kiss and stood together at that fence for a while longer, just looking across that field of dirt. When the sun became too much for Asami, they headed back to the house.

"Mom can make you some lemonade," Korra said. "That'll cool you down. We can sit on the porch, since it'll be cooler than inside."

Asami kissed her cheek. "Sounds perfect."

As they neared the house, they noticed a large black car parked behind the Duesenberg. A man sat inside of it, but from the looks of it, he was a chauffer. "Fancy car for this town," Korra said. She suddenly gasped. "Oh, shit, I hope no one's died!"

She felt Asami squeeze her hand tight. "That's a Cadillac, and it has Texas plates and a chauffer. It had to have been hired. I know only one person that would have hired a Cadillac to bring him here." Asami took a deep breath and continued to hold tight to Korra's hand. "Let's get this over with."

They headed inside the house, and they saw Tonraq and Senna sitting on the couch, talking to a man in a nice suit who sat sitting in the arm chair. If she didn't know better, Korra could have sworn Theodore Roosevelt had come back from the dead and was sitting there talking to her parents, but she knew better. She felt her stomach twist at the look Hiroshi Sato gave her.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Asami asked, her eyes down. Her grip on Korra's hand tightened a bit, and Korra could see she lost some of her confidence by the way her shoulders drooped.

He stood up. "What do you _think_ I am doing here? You are to come with me. We are going home."

Asami stepped back a little. "No."

"Asami, this is not up for debate. You have had your fun, but now it's over."

Asami's other hand reached over and gripped Korra's bicep. "I'm staying here with Korra."

Hiroshi sighed. "Not this again, Asami. Look, I have put up with your little romantic follies in the past, but you have an obligation to this family and to Iroh!"

She looked up then, her back straightening. "Korra isn't a 'romantic folly' to me!" She couldn't stop the next five words that came out, "I'm in love with her!"

Hiroshi nodded and stepped closer, not at all phased by what she said. "Yes, like how you were in love with that shoe shine boy when you were thirteen and the girl that worked at the dress shop when you were sixteen and that starlet and numerous Harvard boys and Radcliffe girls. Enough is _enough_ , Asami."

Korra looked up at Asami. She was a little shocked at what Hiroshi said, but it would have been foolish to think Asami hadn't been with others romantically in her past. She was also shocked by what Asami had said, glad her feelings were mutual.

"I'm in love with you, too."

Asami looked at her, her eyes wet as she gave her a small smile. She turned back to her father, her smile gone. "What I have with Korra isn't like--"

"Yes, it is!" Hiroshi snapped. "What were you expecting, Asami? To stay here and live in poverty with an Okie who has no future? How do you know this girl isn't just after our money?"

"Hey!" Tonraq was on his feet, followed by Senna. "Look here, Sato, you have no right coming in _my_ house and insulting _my_ daughter!"

Senna moved to stand between them. "Please, let's not fight! Not on Palm Sunday!"

Hiroshi and Tonraq both started loudly arguing at each other anyway, and Asami used the distraction to make her getaway. Korra ran after when she took off, and they ran to the truck. Asami got in the driver side and was relieved Korra left the keys in the ignition. Korra got in the passenger side just as she started the engine, and Asami backed the truck out. She didn't hesitate to step on the gas when she reached the main paved road.

"Where are we going?" Korra asked.

"I don't know. Anywhere. I don't care."

They were outside of town now, and Asami saw an abandoned farm house ahead. She pulled the truck over, parking it behind the house, out of sight. Korra followed Asami out of the truck and inside of the house, both ignoring the notice nailed on the door that said the property belonged to the bank now. The furniture remained inside the three-room home. It wasn't a very sturdy house, as it was one of those easily built homes that were sold during the land grab. Dirt had piled up in the corners, the cracks around the windows and between the wood walls making it easy for the dirt to come in.

"I just need somewhere to hide out," Asami said, slowly walking around. "I need to clear my head before I see him again."

Korra nodded. "All right."

Asami ran her finger over the dust on the bare table. "Did you know who lived here?"

"Yeah. Family of five. I used to do some work for them. Went west a year ago when the bank foreclosed on the property."

Asami walked in one of the bedrooms and sat down on the large, dusty mattress on the bed. Korra sat down beside her, and Asami took her hand in hers. "I'm sorry about my father, what he said about you."

Korra gave her hand a squeeze. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. He had no right to say _anything_ about you. He doesn't know you!"

Korra reached up and cupped Asami's cheek, turning her head so she could look her in the eye. "But you know me, and we're in love with each other. That's enough for me."

They kissed, and Asami's tears fell when they slowly pulled apart. "You're not a folly to me, Korra. I hadn't had a romantic fling in a long time, and what I feel for you is nothing like what I've ever felt for anyone else."

Korra nodded and kissed her again. "I ain't as worldly as you or anything, but I know what I feel for you is real. I don't care about your money or your name or none of that shit. I'm in love with _you_ , Asami the woman."

Asami grabbed Korra's face in her hands and pulled her in for another kiss. Shoes were kicked off, along with socks, and clothes soon followed. Asami could feel the rough dust on the mattress against her bare backside, but with Korra on top of her and kissing down her body from her neck to her stomach to her inner thighs she could easily ignore the dust. Korra's lips suddenly left her skin, and she looked up to see Korra lifting Asami's leg and holding it against her chest.

"I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing," Korra said. "But I just know I need to feel you against me."

Asami nodded. "Please."

Both gasped when they felt each other's wet warmth against themselves. Korra started moving her hips, needing to feel more. The feel of Asami against her was enough to get her off, but she needed more. She continued to move her hips as she came down against Asami, and she pressed her lips against hers.

" _Faster_ ," Asami whispered against her lips.

She felt Asami move her hips against her, and Korra moved her hand down between them. She slowly rubbed Asami's clit before speeding up her pace when Asami begged her to. She moved her fingers down, teasing Asami some.

"Stick those fingers in and _fuck me_ ," she gasped.

Korra smiled. "As you wish."

The bed loudly creaked as Korra moved her fingers hard and fast. Dust on the mattress and on the wall billowed around them. The closed windows kept the room hot, and both Korra and Asami were drenched in sweat. It didn't take long for Asami to hit her climax, and after she came down from it, she sat up, gently pushing Korra back on the bed.

"It's your turn."

Korra nodded and gasped when she felt Asami's tongue on her clit. She grasped her hair, trying hard not to pull Asami's head any closer against her. Her hips bucked when she felt Asami's finger slide in her. It was soon followed by a second finger. Oh, the things this woman did to her! Korra wished this moment would last forever, but it was over sooner than she would have liked. Asami's lips trailed up from her thighs to her stomach and to her breasts before softly kissing her neck.

Korra held Asami against her, neither caring that the other was drenched in sweat. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"We could have sex again."

Korra sighed. "Be serious."

Asami moved to prop herself up on her elbow so she could look at Korra. "I don't know what to do. I just know that I don't want to leave you."

Korra took a deep breath and bit on her lip. Asami's father's words were still on her mind... _an Okie who has no future_. That's all she was. What could she give Asami other than her affection? After a couple of months, Asami would grow tired of living in a dust-filled hell, tired of living in poverty and never knowing when her next meal would be. She'd leave the first chance she got. That is, if the dust didn't get her weak lungs first. But this Iroh guy...all she knew was what Asami had told her, which wasn't much. He was older, handsome, and "too serious" for Asami's liking, but he could give her a bright future, maybe even a happy life if given the chance.

"Listen," Korra said, "I don't want you to leave, but...but your father's right." She tried ignoring the hurt look Asami gave her. "I can't give you no future, Asami. I can't promise I'll make you happy. Love can only carry two people so far, and in this barren land, it won't go too far. If the dust don't get you first, the starvation might. Or maybe the dangerous critters around here. You wouldn't be happy here, Asami. Not in the long run. I-- I know I've said all this to you before, and I wanted-- _want_ \-- you to stay, but--" She sniffled and closed her eyes to keep the tears back. "You _can't_." She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, seeing the tears falling down Asami's cheeks. "This Iroh fella...he can give you a happy life, a fruitful life."

Asami shook her head, and her voice cracked as she said, "No, _no_. Please, Korra, don't say that."

Korra reached up and cupped her cheek in her hand. "Asami, you know I'm right. I want you to be happy, and I know you won't be here. Not for long."

" _You_ make me happy," Asami sobbed, placing her hand on Korra's.

"I'm not enough."

" _Yes, you are!_ " Asami choked back a sob and looked down. "We were doomed from the start, weren't we?"

Korra wiped the tears from Asami's cheeks with her fingers. "The rich, beautiful girl from Los Angeles and the rough-and-tumble Okie farmhand? We really didn't have much a chance."

Asami brushed Korra's hair back with her fingers. "I know I told you before, but just know these have been some of the best few days in my life. I'll never regret meeting you nor will I ever regret falling in love with you. I'm just sorry we can't have more time."

Korra nodded. "Me too. We-- we can still write to each other, right? At least keep some kind of friendship, even if it's just in letters. I don't want you completely out of my life."

Asami rested her head on Korra's shoulder. "If I can't be with you here, then I would like that, keep correspondence with you."

Korra held her close, and they both drifted off to sleep. The stiff, dusty mattress kept them from getting a deep sleep, but it was the sound of a hard wind against the house that woke them. Without a word, they got up, dressed, and walked out of the house, hand-in-hand. Just as they stepped outside, they realized the temperature had dropped considerably.

Asami felt a shiver down her spine. "It's dropped thirty, forty degrees out here."

Korra turned in the direction of the wind, and her jaw dropped. " _Shit_ , that's why!"

Asami turned and saw the biggest, blackest duster coming from the north. Other dusters she had seen had been gray or almost red, but this one was coal black. "Oh, no. Do we go back in the house?"

Korra shook her head and opened the passenger door for Asami. "No, we have to try to outrun it and get somewhere sturdy."

She closed the door when Asami was in, and she hurried to the driver side. She turned the keys, put the truck in drive, and hightailed it back to town. People were hurrying inside their homes as the truck passed through the north part of town, their beautiful Palm Sunday coming to a horrific close. The wind buffeted the truck, and Korra could see nothing but darkness in the rearview mirror. The duster was on them now.

"I don't think I can make it home," Korra said. "Tenzin and Pema's house is right up here, though."

The headlights barely showed her the way to Tenzin and Pema's. Day turned in to night within seconds, and before Korra had the chance to shut the engine off, the static shorted it out, the truck dying. Both didn't hesitate to get out and run for the house. The front door opened, and they could barely hear Pema yelling over the winds. The girls made it inside, Pema locking the screen door before shutting and locking the front door. The power must have gone out, as the only light in the house were two candles on the table.

Tenzin picked up the candles. "Come on, we'd better get down to the cellar."

Korra and Asami followed him, Pema, and the kids to the cellar door in the kitchen. Their house and Tonraq and Senna's were one of the small few in town that had the storm cellars built directly below the house and have access from inside. Korra heard the winds howling around the house, and to her, it sounded no different from a tornado. Tenzin put the candles on one of the shelves lining the wall, and everyone went to sit down. The cellar had a couch and an armchair, and while Rohan and Meelo stayed on the couch with their parents, Ikki opted for Korra's lap on one of the chairs. Asami sat on the floor, sitting back against the chair between Korra's knees.

Asami could feel her heart racing, and her chest felt tight. It was becoming hard to breathe, but she tried keeping calm as not to scare the kids. To keep them calm, Korra asked the kids if they could sing their favorite Christmas time songs for Asami. Christmas was their favorite time of year, and the Christmas hymns were perhaps the only ones the kids had memorized. Asami and Korra sang along to a couple of them ("Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" and "We Three Kings" were the only ones Asami knew enough of to sing along).

Rohan started whining, which ended the singing, and Asami thought of way to distract him. She went to the couch and knelt in front of him. She took a silver dollar from her pocket and held it up to him.

"Rohan, can I show you a trick?"

Rohan nodded. "Yep."

He watched as she rolled the coin over her knuckles, and that caught Meelo's attention. She did it a couple of more times before she flipped the coin, caught it, and moved her hands behind her back.

"Which hand has the coin?" she asked.

Rohan pointed to her left. "That one."

She held out her left hand. Empty.

"The other one!" Rohan said.

She held out her right hand. Also empty. "Wait..." She squinted and reached for his ear. "That's where it went!" She pulled the coin from his ear, or so Rohan thought. "Since this was in your ear, it's yours."

Meelo moved forward. "I want one!"

Asami moved towards him, and she took another silver dollar out. She rolled it over her knuckles before flipping it, and she hid her hands behind her. "Where's the coin?"

"It's in my ear, isn't it," Meelo said.

"Is it?" Asami reached behind both of his ears. "Hm, nope. Wait!" She moved her hand under his nose, producing the coin. "It was in your nose!" She gave him the coin. "Here you go."

Ikki sat up. "My turn!"

Asami took out another silver dollar, and she held it in her palm, showing Ikki the coin before she rubbed it between her hands. She opened her hands, the coin now gone. "What d'you think? Ears or nose?"

"Ears," Ikki said.

Asami reached for her ears. "Hm, nope." She moved her hand under her nose. "Nothing there. Oh! I see it!" She reached near Ikki's hair and produced the coin, handing it to her. "You hid it in your hair!"

Ikki held her coin tight, and all three of the kids thanked her. Asami could faintly see Korra's smile in the candle light, and she smiled back as she resumed her spot at Korra's knees. Rohan eventually fell asleep, followed by Meelo, but Ikki was still too on edge to relax. Asami couldn't blame her.

Despite the attempts to keep their spirits up, it just felt too much like the end of the world.

* * *

Asami kept her eyes down as she and Korra walked back to Tonraq and Senna's. Dead cattle, crashed cars, and debris was all around them as they walked. Asami tried to keep her tears back, but when a man carrying his coughing daughter ran past them, calling for help, she let the tears flow.

Korra stopped walking and pulled her in to a tight hug, Asami returning the hold. "You need to go home, far away from this place. You know this life ain't for you now, don't you?"

Asami sobbed and nodded. "I do."

They held one another for another few moments before they continued their walk. As they neared the house, they could see Tonraq was sweeping the porch as Senna shook out the sheets. Senna spotted the girls first and dropped the sheets to run to them.

"Oh, you two are all right!" She pulled them both in a tight hug. "We were so worried."

"We're all right," Korra said. "We took shelter at the pastor's home."

Asami didn't want to ask but knew she had to. "Where's...where's my father?"

Tonraq walked over then. "Went to the sheriff, wanted Beifong to find you and bring you to him."

Korra scoffed. "Ain't no amount of money is gonna get Beifong to help someone like him out." She looked at Asami. "No offense."

She shook her head. "None taken."

The four turned when they heard car engines and saw the headlights, and the sheriff's car led the Cadillac back to the house. Beifong got out first. "So, I take it you're the Sato girl?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Hiroshi got out of the Cadillac and stormed over to her. "Get your things, _now_. We are leaving!"

Without a word, Asami went inside to get her suitcase. Korra fought the urge to follow her, knowing that would only make things worse. A tow truck appeared down the road and came to a stop at the driveway. She watched as Hiroshi instructed the driver to only take the Duesenberg and have it sent to Amarillo. He would have it shipped back to California. Asami returned with her suitcase and small toiletries bag.

Asami handed her things to the Cadillac driver, and she went over to Korra, taking her hands in hers. "Write to me, please," she said, keeping her voice low. "I'll miss you."

Korra didn't hesitate to pull her in for a deep kiss, not caring that Hiroshi was standing right there. They slowly pulled apart, and Korra whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Asami quickly turned away and hurried to the Cadillac. If she looked back, she'd only attempt to run away with Korra again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is a reference to a quote by Hugh Bennett, who was a "a pioneer in the field of soil conservation." Bennett knew the Dust Bowl wasn't a natural occurance, that the plowing of land that shouldn't have been plowed was what caused the drought and dust storms. Two days after Black Sunday, he was speaking to a Senate committee, knowing the remnants of the storm would be blowing into D.C. Just as the sky darkened outside the windows, Bennett said, "This, gentlemen, is what I'm talking about! There goes the state of Oklahoma!"


	7. Sweetest Love, I Do Not Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Got a surge of inspiration for _The Universe Expanded_ , so I had to ride that one out, haha.

**Seven: Sweetest Love, I Do Not Go**

_Monday, April 15, 1935_   
_Republic City, Oklahoma_

Korra stood on the porch, watching the blue flames of electricity dance along the metal fences across the road. The windmill down the road was also lit up with the little flames. It had only been a few hours since she watched Asami leave, but it felt like only minutes. The moon was bright and almost full, and the sky was so clear she could probably see every star there was. She looked up at the Milky Way as Mako and Bolin walked across the yard towards her.

"How're you holdin' up?" Mako asked.

Korra shook her head and sniffled. "She's gone."

Bolin didn't hesitate to pull her in a tight hug. "I knew you cared."

Korra returned the hug and let herself cry. "We patched things up, but then her father had to come and take her away." Bolin held her for a while until she pulled away. "Thanks for coming by. Y'all do okay during the storm?"

"Just finished cleaning out the store," Mako said. "The door blew in, so Bo fixed the frame and lock."

"Thanks," Korra said.

"We have a broken window upstairs, but we can get that fixed easy," Bolin said.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Something flew into it, shattering it," Mako said. "Don't know what it was, though."

Bolin patted her arm. "We just wanted to come by and see how you were, but we're gonna head out."

She nodded. "Y'all get some rest. It's been a long day."

"You, too," Mako said.

The boys left, and Korra went back inside. She went to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She noticed there was a folded note left on her dresser, along with a handkerchief that was a pale violet. She picked up the note, unfolding it as she did.

_My dearest Korra,_

_This is my address: 6670 Yucca St., apt. 603. Los Angeles, CA, if you still want to write to me. If you ever make it west, please do not hesitate to find me, either._

_I'm sorry we never got to read John Donne's poems together, so I leave you with a part of his poem, "Song: Sweetest love, I do not go":_

_Sweetest love, I do not go,_   
_For weariness of thee,_   
_Nor in hope the world can show_   
_A fitter love for me;_   
_But since that I_   
_At the last must part, 'tis best,_   
_Thus to use myself in jest_   
_By feigned deaths to die._

_With all of my love,  
Asami_

Korra picked up the handkerchief, seeing the initials in red stitching _AS_. It smelled of her perfume. Korra sat down on her bed and let the tears fall once again as she pressed the handkerchief to her nose, taking in the flowery scent. She should have fought harder for Asami, telling her father just what she thought of him marrying her off to some man she didn't know and coming between them.

Though, the constant argument continued in Korra's mind: Asami was better off far from this place, yet Korra yearned for her to be right beside her. Just to hear Asami's voice once more, telling her stuff about planes and old English writers and kings, reading poems together, telling each other more stories from their childhoods. She wanted to experience riding in the Duesenberg with the soft top down, wind blowing in her hair as Asami drove the car as fast as she could down the dirt roads, maybe even drive all the way down to Galveston to see the beach. Korra had never been to a beach, nor had she ever seen mountains. California had them both, Asami had told her. Forests to the north, ocean to the west, mountains all around. There was a desert, but Asami said she figured Korra wouldn't be too interested in the desert. She was right. Korra lived in a desert, after all. Maybe not a natural one with cacti and such but still a desert.

Korra moved to rest against her pillows, the dusty covers faintly smelling of Asami's hair. All Korra knew of Los Angeles was what she had seen in the pictures, all glitz and glamour. She imagined Asami's apartment to be a big, fancy one with large windows that overlooked all of Hollywood. Asami would greet her in an elegant silky robe, cigarette extender in hand...oh, she'd give Myrna Loy a run for her money! They would dine by the large window, enjoy both the view and each other's company. After dinner, they would retire to Asami's bedroom, her large, soft, dust-free bed a wonderful welcome. They would make love and hold one another through the night, and as the sun came up, they would wake in each other's arms, both just so happy to be together.

But that was only a fantasy. At the rate the drought was going, Korra would never go to California to find Asami, and even if it were suddenly to rain, by the time Korra got to Los Angeles, Asami might already be married to that Iroh guy. What then? She heaved a sigh and tried not to think too much on that, otherwise she'd start crying again.

Still, it was difficult not to think about Asami.

* * *

Asami never thought she would hate the sound of a plane's engine, but here she was, in one of the private Future Industries twin-engined airliners, loathing the sound of the engines, each movement of the propellers just mocking her. She stared out the window, seeing the desert below. If they hadn't already crossed in to California, they were soon to.

"You've been awfully quiet," Hiroshi said from behind _The Amarillo Globe-News_ paper. He was sitting in the seat across from her, smoke from his cigar flowing up and out around the paper.

"I have nothing to say," she said.

He lowered the paper and set his cigar on the ashtray sitting on the small fold-out table. "Perhaps you would like to go change into something more suitable?"

She kept her eyes on the ground below. "Is my prairie garb not to your liking, Father?"

Asami flinched when she heard Hiroshi crumple the paper and slam his fist down on the arm rest. "I have had _enough_ of your insolent behavior! You are a grown woman, not a spoiled child!" He lowered his voice, hating the frightened look she was giving him. He had never raised a hand to her, even when she was child, but the look on her face said she thought he was about to. He wouldn't. He could never hurt her like that. "I am only doing what is best for you, Asami. I've only ever done what was best for you."

She relaxed only a little when she saw that he wouldn't strike her, but then she quickly bristled again. "Such as marrying me off to a man I barely even know?"

Hiroshi sighed. "Such as securing your future."

She shook her head. "My future was already secure! You said you plan to retire in 1940, and I know exactly how the business runs! We're in a peacetime; it's not like the company is swamped with orders for war planes and vehicles." She narrowed her eyes. "Were you that desperate to absorb Sozin that you didn't once think how I would feel about being treated like I'm your property that you can easily sell of to the highest bidder? I am your _daughter!_ I am not some cow to be sold at auction! Or have you forgotten that?"

His drooped expression told her that he didn't think about her feelings. "Asami, I'm sorry. You're all I have left, and I wanted to make sure you would be taken care if anything had happened to me."

She felt her chest tighten. Was he only manipulating her or was he truly sorry? She felt his apology was too quick, and she was well aware what a good actor her father could be, having seen the many faces he put on during business meetings. "You know goddamn fucking well I can take care of myself just fine." Her foul language caught him by surprise. "Don't you _dare_ guilt me!" She felt her tears well up. "Ever since I came back from college, you've treated me like how every other rich father treats his daughter, like I'm just a _thing_ , as if you no longer respect me as a person."

"You know that is not true."

"Do I? Did you even know what kind of man Iroh was when you agreed to sell me off to him? What if he decided to beat me? What if he carried on affairs behind my back? What if he's controlling or hits any children we might have? What then, Father? How would you feel if you found out the man you married your daughter off to wasn't a good person?"

"Asami..."

She held up her hands. "No! I am _not_ finished!" she snapped. "Would you have felt guilty? Would you have supported me if I decided I wanted to divorce him? I don't know this man anymore than I'm sure you do, but I know Korra. Korra is a good woman."

He shook his head. "You do not know that. You knew the girl for a week."

"That was all I needed to know her. I could have had a good life with her."

Hiroshi's brows furrowed, and she could see the vein in his forehead suddenly bulge as his jaw clenched. "That _girl_ would have only dragged you down into an awful and difficult life you do not deserve."

" _None_ of those people deserve that life!" she snapped. "They were all good people! They saved my life time and time again, and they deserve our help and respect! And so do the migrant workers!" She felt her eyes water, and she sniffled as she reached in her purse and took out her cigarette case and a lighter. She pulled a cigarette out, lit it, and tossed the case and lighter back in her purse. "I love her."

He looked down as he shook his head and sighed. "No, Asami, you didn't. She was just another one of your silly romantic flings that would have burned out quickly, just like all of the others."

" _No_ , she wasn't a fling." She wiped her eyes and took a drag of her cigarette. "Korra didn't have to help me. She didn't have to save me from the dusters, but she did. Korra _cared_."

Hiroshi knew if they continued, they would only go in a circle, nothing getting resolved. "When we return to Los Angeles, you will go back to your routine, get to know Iroh, and you will forget about that girl."

She wanted to argue that she would never forget Korra, but it was no use. It also wasn't just Korra she wouldn't forget. She wouldn't forget Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan...the bright, hopeful looks Ikki and Meelo would give her and strong Jinora, her will to keep going never faltering. She wouldn't forget Tonraq, Senna, Pastor Tenzin, and Pema...good people who deserved the easy life and everything good in this world. She wouldn't forget Kya...her gracious savior who never turned down anyone in need. She wouldn't forget Bolin and Mako...selfless and humble young men who'd do anything for anyone. She closed her eyes before more tears fell, and she continued to smoke her cigarette. She finished it by the time the plane landed at the Los Angeles Municipal Airport.

They got off the plane when the engines stopped and the stairs were in place, and Asami followed Hiroshi to the private car waiting for them, a black Lincoln KB Town Sedan. _Too much extravagance_ , Asami thought. _We don't need this monstrosity or a hired driver to cart us around._

The driver opened the back door for them. "Good morning, Mr. Sato, Miss Sato. Back to the mansion, sir?"

Before Hiroshi could say anything, Asami said, "Please take me to my apartment. It's sixty-six seventy Yucca Street in Hollywood."

"Yes, Miss Sato."

Asami watched as they passed the fields and eventually came into the city. They went through downtown, the sounds of the city suddenly seeming too loud, and Wilshire, the small homes massive in comparison to the houses in Republic City, before arriving in Hollywood. The sky was blue, lawns were green, and trees swayed in the calm wind. No dusters here. The driver pulled up to her apartment building, and without a word, Asami got out before the driver could open the door for her. She got her bags and she walked fast inside.

Normally, it would have felt nice to be in the ornate lobby, waiting on the elevator, listening to the nice piano music playing inside the car as it took her to the sixth floor, unlocking and opening her door and seeing her high-end furniture and decor, but this time it wasn't. She looked around at the expensive things in her fairly small apartment, which was mostly the furniture. She did have two nice paintings on the walls, but even that was a bit much. She looked around for anything she could sell. Whatever money she got, she would give to the migrant families, maybe send some to Korra and her parents.

She took her bags to her room, dropping them on her large bed, and she went back to the living room. She turned on her large cabinet radio. The familiar voice of the KTI radio announcer did make her smile. " _Thank you for listening to KTI radio, serving California and the West Coast with music and variety._ "

Radio programming was music right now, and as she listened to Bing Crosby, Asami took a pen and pad from her desk to take stock on what she could sell. The one thing she would not give up was the radio. She looked around the living room. The couch could go. It wasn't like she ever had visitors. All she needed were the two arm chairs. The paintings could also go. The coffee table and end tables; she could replace those with cheaper ones. The dining room was open to the living room, so she marked the table and chairs on her notepad. She could get a cheaper, more modest set later.

The two oriental rugs-- the one in the living room and the one in the dining room-- she could part with one of them. The one in the living room her father bought when they went to Bombay when she was eleven. Her father was meeting a British investor, and while the men talked on the veranda of the British man's home, she sat beside her father and sipped her tea. She saw a mongoose walk by, a dead cobra in its mouth, and it brought the dead snake to the man's wife, who had just sat down. Asami expected the woman to scream, but she smiled and patted the mongoose on the head, giving him a treat and telling him job well done. She was in awe that one of her favorite stories when she was younger was real. She was looking at the _real_ Rikki-tikki-tavi! She wanted to take a mongoose of her own home, but instead, they went home with a rug and new business deal. When she moved into her apartment, her father let her take the rug to give her living room some color.

The one in the dining room was her favorite, though. It was a beautiful gold and red colored rug from Turkey that she bought when she and her father were in Constantinople (well, it was "Istanbul" now). It was the summer before she left for Radcliffe, and while her father was initially going for business, he added another week to the trip so they could have one more Father-Daughter trip before she went across the country for school. If one could fall in love with a city, Asami had fallen in love with Constantinople. There was just so much history in the city, and there was always something that immediately caught her eye. When she saw that rug in one of the markets, she knew she had to have it. As she looked at it now, she could feel the Constantinople sun and winds on her skin. No, this rug she couldn't part with. She would sell the other rug, but she couldn't sell this one.

So the rug from Constantinople would stay, as would the two decorative vases that had belonged to her mother. She decided she would sell off her own jewelry, as she had a lot she didn't wear and that had value. Her designer clothes she didn't wear anymore would be donated.

When she was finished, she decided to take a shower. The dust was so deep in her hair and stuck on her skin that the tub turned almost black from what had washed off of her. As much as she missed Korra and Republic City, she was glad to finally have a proper shower, though she knew she'd have to wash her hair a few times before all the dirt came out.

* * *

_Dear Asami_

Korra stopped and tried to gather her thoughts. What could she say without sounding sad and desperate? She went over a couple of things in her head before she wrote:

_I found your note and handkerchief. I won't lie, I had to read the poem a couple of times to understand the old England talk._

Korra scratched that out. "No, I don't want her to think I'm dumb."

Asami most likely wouldn't have thought her dumb, but Korra didn't want to risk it. She pulled out another sheet and re-wrote:

_I found your note and handkerchief, both of which were very nice. I miss you so much. My bed_

She stopped again. "No, don't bring up the sex."

It was bad enough she couldn't get the image of a naked Asami out of her mind, nor could she stop thinking about the feel of Asami's skin against hers, how she tasted, how she sounded when at climax. Korra shook her head, clearing her mind as best she could. Another new sheet.

 _I found your note and handkerchief, both of which were very nice._ _I miss you already. House seems empty or something. Things ain't the same around here without you. I know you weren't here that long and you ain't been gone too long, but still. When things get better around here, I will go to California, and I will look for you._

Perfect. Now, how should she sign it? Well, Asami put "love" in hers, so she figured she would, too.

_Love always,  
Korra_

She read over her writing a couple of times. Now she was hesitant to send it. No, she had to send it. She needed Asami to know she still cared, would always care. She folded the note and put it in an envelope, scribbling Asami's name and address on it before scribbling her own name and address on the back. She got up, leaving her room, and she walked into town. She made a mental note to stop at the Red Lotus Garage and ask Ghazan if he could tow her truck home for her, as it was still sitting in front of the pastor's house, still shorted out. When she reached the center of town, she dropped the letter in the only big mailbox, and she headed to the store.

Bolin was sweeping as Mako restocked, and they both turned when they heard the door open. "Just me," Korra said.

Mako noticed the handkerchief sticking out of Korra's front trouser pocket. "Quite the fancy face cover you have there."

Korra looked down and saw it sticking out. She quickly stuffed it back in her pocket. "No, it's-- it not that."

She could see the curiosity written on Bolin's face. "What is it?"

She sighed. "It's a gift. From-- from Asami."

Bolin set the broom against the counter, and he went over to her, pulling her into a tight hug. "You'll see her again. I know it."

Korra nodded as he let go of her, and she wiped the tears forming in her eyes away. "Thanks. I..." She cleared her dry throat. "I need something to do to distract me. What can I do to help? I can fix that window upstairs or somethin'."

Mako and Bolin glanced at one another before Mako said, "We can take care of that. I could use help restocking and then taking stock of everything downstairs."

She nodded. "I can do that."

Bolin went back to sweeping as Mako and Korra restocked the shelves. Mako grinned and said, "You know, when Asami first walked in this store, I thought about asking her to a movie, just for a split second."

Korra couldn't help but laugh. "But I just had to get to her first, huh?"

"It wouldn't have been a competition. That girl was meant for you." He stopped when he realized what he said. "I-- I didn't mean-- I made you feel worse, didn't I?"

She shook her head. "No. She is meant for me. As hurt as I am now, I do think I'll see her again. I'll make sure I see her again."

Mako smiled and nudged her with his elbow. "That's our determined Korra."

"The rains have to come back again, y'know? They _have_ to. I can't leave my family and friends until I know Republic City will be green with crops again. When things are back to normal, I'll go find my girl."

Mako smiled. This was the strong-minded girl he had fallen for. He gave up the idea of ever winning her back romantically so long ago, and he knew after what he had done to her, she would never want him back. The fact they could be friends now was amazing, considering what a train wreck their romance had been. Now, he realized even more that Korra was never his, never meant to be his. She was meant for Asami. That girl may have only been around for a week or so, but it was obvious she and Korra were meant to be. Korra just seemed so _happy_ , something she hadn't been since the drought started. When she was around Asami, her happiness and love could almost be felt by everyone else.

"You know me and Bolin will support you. Hell, we'll even pack your things for you and drive you to California ourselves if we have to."

She smiled up at him the sparkle back in her eyes. "Thanks, Mako."

"Anytime."

Just then, the door opened, and Meelo and Ikki ran in, fighting over who was going to do what job. Ikki said Meelo had to help sweep while she ran the candy table for a while, but he argued that he had _just_ helped sweep the store.

"Yeah, a week ago!" Ikki said.

"Hey, hey, what's with all the arguing?" Korra asked.

"Korra!" both kids cheered.

They both went to hug her tight, and Meelo looked up at her. "Where's the beautiful woman?"

Korra patted his head. "She had to go back to Los Angeles."

"No!" Ikki said, letting go of her. "She was supposed to stay here and marry you and stay here forever!" Korra could see her eyes water. "You're not gonna leave, too, are you?"

Korra's heart sank at the look in her eyes. First, their big sister Jinora leaves and now their new big friend Asami left. "No, Ikki, I'm not leaving."

"But you gotta go to California and get your woman!" Meelo said.

Korra looked at him in surprise. "You think?"

He stepped back and crossed his arms. "I _know_."

Korra shook her head. "I can't. Not right now. Truck's dead and I have no money. I wrote her a letter. It'll be enough until I'm able to go to California."

The door opened again, a farmer's wife and children walking in. Bolin gave them his cheery greeting as he went to the counter, and Mako helped her get the things she needed. Korra watched as Ikki and Meelo went to the candy table to sell something to the kids. She would go to California, but for now, she'd just have to wait for Asami's reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious as to why Asami has no zip code, it's because they didn't have them in 1935. Zip codes came around in 1963.
> 
> Myrna Loy was an actress in the 1930s who "was originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp." Fun fact: She's the third actress Asami has been compared to through the story, the other two being Ginger Rogers, who Mako thought of, and Jean Harlow, who Korra said she was glamourous like.
> 
> The radio station Asami listens to is the one from _L.A. Noire_ , which is based on the real radio station, KFI-AM.


	8. A Republic City Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I super apologize. I know this is long overdue for an update, but I got a burst of inspiration for The Universe Expanded and then You Could Have It So Much Better happened. Plus, I kept drafting different endings for this, and now I've finally picked one I like. So here it is. Enjoy!

**Eight: A Republic City Welcome**

_April 29, 1935_

My dearest Korra,

As I write this, I'm looking out my living room window and can see the Hollywoodland sign. It makes me wish you were right here with me. I feel so empty and alone here. Los Angeles is such a beautiful and vibrant city, but I cannot enjoy it without you. I read in the papers that federal aid is finally coming to the drought stricken areas. I hope it comes to you soon. I drove out to some of the migrant camps outside of the city the other day to see what I could do to help them. I brought as many clothes as I could, especially for the children. They seemed wary and suspicious of me at first, but when I mentioned Republic City, some warmed up to me. I remember what you said about the horrible conditions they lived in, but it's beyond description. Truly be thankful your father decided to remain in Republic City.

I think about you all the time, Korra. When I wake up, for a split second, I believe you're going to be right there beside me, that I will turn over and see your sparkling eyes and bright smile. My heart hurts being away from you. If I could just be near you one more time. Enclosed you'll find a photo I took of myself. Nothing risqué but just a little memento for you.

I miss you so much.

Love,  
Asami

* * *

_May 12, 1935_

To my dearest Asami,

I wish I was right there with you, too, but having a picture of you is very nice. Thank you. I don't think any big aid will get here anytime soon, though the farmers whose cattle hadn't died yet got to sell them for $14 to $20 a head! It's part of something called the Drought Relief Service, so they're getting some help. I hear ol' Frankie's starting up some tree planting program-- planting trees from Texas to Canada, they say, and they'll need workers. Once there's something official, I'm signing up. The trees are supposed to ease the wind and anchor the soil, so here's hoping we'll be the green plains we used to be. And thanks for helping out the migrant workers. I bet they sure appreciated it once they warmed up to you.

I think about you all the time, too. Sometimes I think about your smile or how you'd light up when talking about your egghead stuff I loved hearing. Other times I think about how you tasted, how your skin felt against mine, your touch. As soon as the plains are green again, I'm going west to find you. Until then, I'll just have to think about you and read your letter over and over and keep your picture close. I went ahead and sent you a picture of me. It's maybe a year old, but aside from my longer hair, I don't think I look much different. It's the only photo of me I like enough to send to you.

I miss you so much, too.

Love,  
Korra

* * *

_February 19, 1936_

Dearest Asami,

Haven't heard from you in a while. I hope everything's okay. How are you? I've been busy with the Civilian Conservation Corps, planting trees along the main roads from Guymon through Republic City and to Boise City. You should see it, Asami. The trees are little, but they bring so much color to the plains. Hopefully, when the rains come back, so will actual winter. I haven't seen snow in so long. The G-men have been teaching the farmers about soil conservation and farming techniques that won't erode the land again. Soon the plains will be beautiful again. I still think about you a lot, especially when I look at the trees. You'd love them.

Love,  
Korra

* * *

_July 7, 1936_

My dearest Korra, my Sun,

I apologize for not writing back sooner. I'm in the process of moving. I'm so happy to hear about the trees and new farming techniques! I bet the trees are so green and more beautiful now. I'm sure the rains will return soon, and when they do, the plains will bloom in green.

I miss you more every day, Korra. I miss your smile. I miss your laugh. I miss the way your arms felt when you held me. I miss that sparkle in your beautiful blue eyes. I know I will be unable to come to see you for a while, but I hope when the day comes that I can see you and be held by you and kissed by you. Republic City will be back to where it was before the drought, if not better.

I leave you with another poem excerpt, this one by Anne Bradstreet (though, with one little change):

"I wish my Sun may never set, but burn  
Within the Cancer of my glowing breast,  
The welcome house of [her] my dearest guest.  
Where ever, ever stay, and go not thence,  
Till nature's sad decree shall call thee hence;  
Flesh of thy flesh, bone of thy bone,  
I here, thou there, yet both but one."

Love always,  
Asami

* * *

_July 17, 1936_

Dearest Asami,

I'm sorry I can't send you any poems, but I can hear your voice telling me that's okay. Still no rains here on the plains. How are things in Los Angeles? Have you worked things out with your father? What's your new place like? Sorry if I seem nosy, but I just wonder how you're doing. You really didn't say in your last letter. Not that I didn't appreciate hearing from you. I did. Of course I did. I just think about you, you know? I miss you so much, too. I miss waking up and seeing your naked back beside me. I miss the way you'd kiss my neck. I miss how you'd just light up when you talked about your machines and stuff. I miss you teaching me stuff about old England. I can't come to California any time soon, not when there's farmers that need hands to help them with the new farming techniques.

I've gotten a few jobs here and there, making a living once again, so here's hoping when I have enough money, I can come to California and make an honest woman of you. The store's been getting steady business, which has brought some life back into Mom and Dad. Dad sometimes goes down there to help Mako and Bolin. Oh, and I didn't tell you! Bolin and Sheriff Beifong's niece, Opal, are getting hitched! I've never seen Bolin so happy and nervous at the same time. Opal's a sweet girl, and I know they'll make each other happy. Jinora's still in Kansas City. Kya doesn't want her to come back until she can breathe 100% again. She still has coughing fits and wheezes, and with there still be dust around here, it's best she stay east. Ikki and Meelo both send their greetings. They ask about you a lot.

Please, let me know how're doing. I'd love to know what you've been up to, if you're working on any new planes and stuff like that.

Love,  
Korra

* * *

_Sunday, August 2, 1936_

The furniture Asami didn't sell was now on a moving van, halfway to her new home, and when she left the bank after making sure her father couldn't get access to her bank account, she went back to her apartment and loaded her Duesenberg with the last of her things. It wasn't much, mostly luggage with the clothes and shoes she didn't give away and Korra's letters. She looked at her apartment building one more time, giving it a silent goodbye, and she got in the Duesenberg. She didn't look back as she left the city. She only looked east.

Asami made sure to wear the clothes she bought in Oklahoma over a year ago. Sure her car was fancy, but this way no one would give her a second glance. Hopefully people would think she was an "Okie," despite the fact she was going east, not west. She didn't plan to stop much. It would be over a sixteen or so hour drive. If she stopped for gas and meals and took quick breaks, she could drive the whole way. She did it before. It would be after two in the morning when she arrived at her new home, but she was all right with that.

The drive through the Arizona desert wasn't so bad, since it was raining most of the way. The sun came out briefly at the Arizona-New Mexico line, but like Arizona, New Mexico was rainy and overcast. Once she was out of central New Mexico, the sky cleared, but it was night. She didn't hit any dust storms, and she didn't have to deal with the sun or heat. Maybe this was a good sign.

Asami hoped so anyway.

* * *

Korra was at the general store to help Bolin and Mako with sweeping and restocking, a "break" from the outdoor work she had been doing for the past year. The triple digit heat that started in April was still going strong. A few other families in town left after Black Sunday. Korra couldn't blame them, yet she knew the west wasn't too welcoming to Okies. Better to ride it out at home with her friends and family. Though, she was lucky; her parents' home was among the nicest and most sturdy of the houses in town, very much unlike the two bedroom shacks a lot of the farmers outside of town lived in. But her parents were very well off, only second to the wealthy "old money" Beifongs. Yet, despite the families that left, there were also new families in town, thanks to the farming and tree planting jobs.

The radio was on, some slow jazz playing, and Bolin left his post at the register. He walked over to Korra and took the broom out of her hands. "You need a pick-me-up," he said. He set the broom aside and held his hand out. "May I have this dance?"

Korra grinned and bowed. "Yes, sir."

Since the day Asami left, Bolin and Mako made it their mission to keep Korra's spirits up. They both knew Korra would never see her again, but Korra wasn't going to say it out loud. She still held some hope that she would see Asami again.

As she and Bolin danced around, a grinning Mako restocking the shelves, the door opened. Ikki and Meelo ran in, both calling for Korra. Ikki held something in her hand. "Korra! You got this package! From _Los Angeles!_ "

Korra let go of Bolin and hurried over to the kids. Ikki handed Korra the package, Korra thanking her. She saw the address. Her heart began to race. She opened the package to find a book.

"What is it?" Mako asked.

Korra held the book up. "It's a collection of John Donne poems." She opened the book to find a note in the front. "There's an note."

_Dearest Korra,_

_Please hold on to this book for me. I'll be asking for it soon._

_With all of my love,  
Asami_

Korra's brows rose. "She'll be asking for it soon? What does that mean? You guys don't think..."

Bolin shrugged. "It's a longshot, but hey, stranger things have happened."

Korra didn't want to get her hopes up. "I should probably take this home."

"We'll go with you!" Meelo said. "Maybe we can see who's moving into that empty house!"

"What empty house?" Korra asked.

"The one that's on your street," Ikki said. "There was a moving van!"

A couple of the houses on her street were still empty. They were all the sturdy built homes, a couple even had small garages, and they hadn't been occupied in a while. The bank foreclosed on some of them a couple of years ago, the families having to leave. She was glad her dad paid off their house a long time ago. They didn't have to worry about the bank taking their home.

"Who would want to willingly move _here?_ " Mako asked.

"I would."

Everyone jumped a little, as they didn't hear the door open, and Korra's jaw dropped. She had to be hallucinating. Why else would she be seeing Asami standing by the door? She slowly walked towards her. "Am I dreaming right now or something? Are you really here?"

Asami's eyes watered, and she smiled. "I am."

She and Korra met halfway and threw their arms around each other. Korra didn't want to let her go, but they eventually pulled back so they could look at one another. "Not that I'm not happy to see you-- I'm beyond happy right now-- but what are you doing here?"

Asami's hands moved to cup Korra's cheeks. "I left Los Angeles for good. I can't marry a man I don't know, and I had to come back to you. We may not have had much time before, but now, we do."

Korra shook her head. "But your dad...won't he come looking for you?"

"He can try, but he can't touch my money or anything I own. My money is from trust funds my mother and grandparents set up, plus what I got from selling a few things. He has nothing on me."

"What about your family's company?"

"I don't care about that." Asami moved her hands to hold on to Korra's. "If you're not too busy, I'd like to catch up."

Korra glanced at the boys, and Mako waved her off. "Go, go!"

"Thanks." Korra held Asami's hand as she pulled her outside. "I still can't believe I'm holding your hand and that you're here with me and--"

Asami pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. "I've missed you."

Korra was stunned for a moment before she kissed her back. "I've missed you, too. So in your letter when you said you were in the process of moving, it was to here, wasn't it?"

"Yep. I found a house for sale near your house, and I bought it through the mail and phone. I sold a lot of things, but the furniture I kept should already be at the house." She bit her lip. "Would you like to see it?"

Korra smiled. "Absolutely."

She followed Asami to the Duesenberg, and they got in. As they drove through town, Asami smiled at the trees that had been planted along the sides of the roads. "The trees are lovely. Are these ones you helped plant?"

"Some. I worked mostly outside of town." She placed her hand on Asami's that was on the shifter. "I still cannot believe you're really here, that I'm riding beside you in your fancy car."

"I can't believe it either, and I'm the one who moved here."

They smiled at one another, and they sat in contented silence the rest of the way. The house Asami bought was across the street and two houses down from Tonraq and Senna's, and it had a garage. Asami stopped the car on the driveway and got out to open the doors of the garage before she got back in and parked inside. She locked the garage doors after she and Korra walked out, and Asami took her hand as they walked to the backdoor of the house.

"I'm thinking of having some trees planted in my yard," Asami said as she unlocked the door. "And maybe lay some sod after a while."

They walked inside the house. The open windows were already covered with damp sheets, and there were stacks of boxes in both the kitchen and living room. The house was similar in layout to Tonraq and Senna's, but the cracked paint, creaking floorboards, and small piles of dust in the corners made it obvious that no one had lived there in a while. The furniture in the living room was still covered in plastic, but the bedroom was already cleaned and set up.

Asami's face flushed. "I had to sleep somewhere."

Korra sat down on the bed. "This is perhaps the largest and fanciest bed I've ever seen."

Asami sat down beside her. "King size. I like having the space."

Korra chuckled. "I imagine my full size seemed tiny in comparison."

Asami scooted closer to her and leaned in close. "Your bed was just _perfect_."

Korra grinned and leaned closer. "Shall we give your bed a Republic City welcome?"

"You read my mind."

Even though the window was open and covered with a damp sheet, they both felt they could be as loud as they'd like and not worry about anyone walking in. Korra knew there wouldn't be anyone around that would be close enough to hear them out the windows. They didn't waste any time getting their clothes off, but before they got back on the bed, Korra pulled the comforter back.

"It looks too fancy. Don't want to dirty it up with what we're about to do."

"Good idea." Asami got on the bed and took her hands in her own, pulling Korra onto the bed. "Now, _please_ , fuck me."

"Yes, ma'am!"

They both laughed when Korra tackled Asami, and they fell back onto the pillows. The rest of the afternoon was spent on that bed. Hands and lips and tongues touched and tasted all they could, and neither woman wanted to stop. Asami could feel her hair stick to her sweaty skin, but she didn't care. She was in Korra strong arms again, and she didn't want to leave. As the sun started to set, Asami had to force herself to get up and light some candles (as she didn't have electricity yet). Korra welcomed her back on the bed with open arms when she was done.

Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's waist and rested her head against her chest. "I never want to leave you again."

Korra gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. "Well, if you do have to leave again, I'm going with you. Everything is beginning to stabilize around here, so if you do want to go back to California, I'll be right there beside you."

Asami shook her head. "No. California is my father and Future Industries. Los Angeles may have the glitz and glamour, but I'm happier here."

"You wouldn't be happy back in Los Angeles even if I were with you?"

"I'd be happy. I will always be happy with you, but I'd also worry what my father would try to do you, to us." She kissed Korra's warm skin. "I love you, Korra. I love you so much."

Korra knew she would never tire of hearing that. "I love you, too, Asami."

Asami pulled back a little and moved up to look at Korra. She brushed Korra's bangs off her forehead. "Stay the night with me?"

Korra smiled. "You bet. Maybe you can read some of those poems from the book you sent me."

Asami had almost forgotten about the book, though she was aware Korra had been holding it and it now sat on her bedside table. "I'd love to." She felt her stomach rumble. "Though, I am getting hungry."

Korra gently pushed her back so she could get up. "Then let's get dressed and go to my parents'. They'd love to see you. We'll eat and then come back here for more lovin'."

Asami smiled. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

Over the next few days, Korra helped Asami get her house set up. Tonraq took care of getting her power and phone set up for her, and in return, she went back to Amarillo to get groceries for him and Senna. They didn't want her to do anything in return, but after everything they and Korra had done for her, she had to do something for them. During the week, Korra would be working either as a farmhand for the farms outside of town or planting the trees along the highway. To occupy her time, Asami took to doing house repairs. She replaced the old plumbing first, and Tonraq insisted he help her. She was glad, as it was a two person job.

Senna helped her with painting the interior while Tonraq helped her with painting the exterior. Mako and Bolin also chipped in their help when she planted her new trees, and they helped her paint the garage. The basement was last. She liked the idea of having a basement, but she hadn't ventured downstairs yet. Tonraq, Senna, and the boys helped her in cleaning up the space and putting in the new carpet. When she bought some furniture and a freezer, the boys helped her carry it all downstairs. She wanted a furnished basement, especially if she needed to use it during a storm. The freezer would be for any extra food she needed to preserve.

After a month and a half, her house was done. It felt like a true home, even more so when she invited everyone over for dinner. She had zero cooking skills, so Tonraq and Korra came over to help her and teach her, as well. They cooked a big dinner, and they set her big new table. Korra, her parents, the boys, Pastor Tenzin and his family, Kya, and Bolin's fiancée, Opal, all came over. Jinora was still recovering in Kansas City, but Pema told Asami that she wrote in her last letter that she was happy to hear Asami was back.

After dinner, Korra helped Asami with the dishes. There wasn't much food leftover, but what was left, Mako and Bolin took home. When the dishes were done, Asami and Korra went out onto the porch and sat on the porch swing. Korra wrapped her arm around Asami's shoulders as Asami rested her head on Korra's shoulder. It was a cool, clear night, and they could see the electricity on fences and windmills in the distance. The dust storms still occurred, but what there had been weren't _as_ bad as the ones Asami remembered. Still, it was enough to send dust in the house and charge up metal.

"This is wonderful," Asami said. "Sitting out here with the woman I love after having dinner with the people I also love. I've never felt more at home and welcome than I have here."

Korra sighed. "You know, not to bring him up at a nice time like this, but really, if not for your father, we wouldn't have met."

Asami thought about that, and Korra was right. The only reason Asami was in Republic City over a year ago was because she was driving to Chicago to meet Iroh. "Perhaps someday I'll thank him. I met my soulmate, after all."

Korra smiled and gave her a squeeze. "'Soulmate,' huh? Yeah, I suppose we are soulmates. We're still learning about each other, but I still feel like I've always known you." She laughed. "Something I've learned is that you, Miss Sato, are a huge slob."

Asami pretended to look offended. "Hey, I'm getting better!"

Korra kissed the top of her head. "That you are."

Asami gently ran her fingers along the blue fabric of Korra's trousers. "You were right about life here being hard. I knew it would be, but it's harder than I imagined. Not to mention the pests I keep getting in the house. I have to shake my shoes and sheets to make sure there's no spiders or scorpions, but..." She took a deep breath and smiled. "But I'm glad I'm here. There isn't anywhere else I'd want to be."

"Things will get better," Korra said. "They already are. Someday everything around here will be green, and the only thing we'll have to worry about is a tornado touching down." She laughed. "I can't believe there are times I wish for a tornado, but it would mean rain and hail...any precipitation."

Asami gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. "I still have faith the rains will return."

Korra kissed her on the head again. "How about we go inside and uh, get a little _wet_ ourselves?"

Asami was up in a flash. "Race you to the bedroom!"

Korra ran after her, but Asami still won. Though, she only won because Korra took the time to close and lock the front door. She also made sure the back door was locked, some of the windows were shut, and that the lights outside of the bedroom were off. Asami was already naked and waiting on the bed when she went in the bedroom.

Korra grinned and shut the bedroom door. "Oh, I will _never_ tire of this sight."

* * *

Korra was up at sunrise, despite it being her day off, but she was accustomed to getting up that early (though she wasn't fond of it). After she showered and put on her panties, trousers, and a tank top, she went to the kitchen and made oatmeal, fried some eggs and bacon, and she made some coffee for herself. Asami was up when she smelled the food, and she put on her panties and one of Korra's button-up work shirts. It was a little big (and long, for Korra), but Asami found it comfortable. Plus, it smelled like Korra.

"Something smells _delicious_ ," Asami said when she walked in her kitchen.

Korra grinned. "Someone looks _delicious_." They kissed, and Korra pulled back before she threw Asami onto the table and got her naked again. "Let's eat. The food, I mean."

They enjoyed breakfast as the radio in the living room was tuned to a music station playing Benny Goodman, and after breakfast, Asami washed the dishes before she went to shower and clean up for the day. Once she was dressed and her hair and makeup done, she walked into the living room to find Korra listening to a midday drama on the radio.

"Anything exciting?" Asami asked.

"I think they've played this one before." She shrugged and sat up. "Or maybe it's just the same story over and over. I'm not sure."

Asami went over to her and straddled her lap. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Well, I promised Ikki and Meelo I'd take them to go see the new Shirley Temple picture."

Asami laughed. "Should I sit that one out? I mean, you remember what happened last time we took Ikki to the movies."

Korra grasped her butt. "Oh, I remember, and I want you to go. Perhaps we can have some fun in that bathroom again."

Asami smiled and ran her fingers through Korra's soft hair. "Well, what if I want to watch the picture, too?"

"I'll take you back later, and I'll try not to neck with you during."

They both laughed, and just as Asami leaned in to kiss her, there was a knock on the door. She got up, leaving a slightly disappointed Korra, and she opened the door to find Kai, the telegram delivery boy, on the other side of the screen door.

"Telegram for you, Miss Sato," he said with a smile. "It's addressed to Mr. Tonraq and Miss Senna's house, but since it's for you, I thought I'd just bring it over."

"Thank you, Kai." She opened the screen door. "Come in, come in. Would you like milk and cookies?"

Kai's face lit up. "Would I!"

She smiled and gestured to the kitchen. "Milk's in the refrigerator and cookies in the cookie jar."

He handed her the telegram. "Thanks!"

Asami looked at the telegram and felt her stomach twist.

LOS ANGELES CALIF 12  823A                                                                         1936 OCT 2 AM 8 23

MISS ASAMI SATO  
120 SOUTH AVE REPUBLIC CITY OKLA

YOU HAVE DONE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THIS FAMILY AND THE COMPANY. I SEE I CANNOT RELY ON MY OWN DAUGHTER TO DO WHAT SHE WAS ASKED TO. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME. DO NOT THINK YOU CAN COME HOME AND EXPECT ME TO HELP YOU WHEN YOUR OKIE FLING GOES SOUTH. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.

HIROSHI SATO

Korra got up. "What is it?" Asami handed her the telegram, and she read it. "I know he's your father, but you don't need that asshole."

Asami felt the tears roll down her cheeks as she moved to sit on the couch. "Still hurts."

Korra joined her. "I imagine it does."

Kai walked out of the kitchen just then. "Thanks for the--" He saw Asami was crying, and he walked over to her. "Oh, no! Oh, gee whiz! That telegram was upsetting, wasn't it? I'm sorry, Miss Sato!"

She sniffled and smiled up at him. "It's not your fault, Kai. You're just doing your job. Hang on for one second." She got up and went to her purse in the bedroom. She took out her coin purse and walked back to the living room. She handed him a dollar. "Here's a tip for you."

Kai's eyes went wide. "Gee, Miss Sato, thanks! This isn't too much for you to give?"

She smiled. "Take it, Kai."

He carefully folded the dollar and stuck it in his sock. "Thanks for the milk and cookies. And the dollar."

"You're welcome here anytime for milk and cookies."

Kai smiled and nodded before he left. Asami sat down beside Korra, and she sighed as she covered her face with her hands. She felt Korra's hand gently rub her back, and her touch relaxed her a bit.

Asami wiped her eyes and sat up. "I'm not going to sit here and cry over a man who doesn't see me as family anymore. Let's go take the kids to the movies."

Korra kissed her cheek. "All right. Just know if you need or want to talk, I'm all ears."

Asami smiled and kissed her lips. "I know. Thank you, love." She got up. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

Korra gestured to her eyes. "You may want to fix... _this_."

Asami smacked her own forehead. "Running eye makeup. Right. I'm dumb. I'll be ready in a couple of minutes."

Korra smiled and sat back. "I'll be here."

* * *

Asami wouldn't return to California until December of 1939. She received a letter from the Sato family lawyer informing her that her father had died. Heart attack. He also had not changed his will in those last three years, so Future Industries, the house, and his money was all hers. Korra went with her when she went back to Los Angeles to make the funeral arrangements.

It was raining when she had her father buried in the family mausoleum next to her mother's ashes, and she had not yet cried. Korra knew she was holding it all in, but she wouldn't push Asami to mourn. She would just be there with her, holding her hand.

After the small, quiet funeral, they went back to the Sato mansion on Santa Monica Boulevard. Everything about Los Angeles was huge and exciting and glamourous to Korra, and the Sato mansion took her breath away. Asami grew up in this massive house, and she left this life to live in a dusty hole in the Oklahoma panhandle? _She must_ really _love me_. The inside of the mansion was beautifully decorated for Christmas, making the large house feel kind of cozy.

Asami led the way to the main sitting room. One of the servants lit the fireplace, and the radio was on. Korra sat on the plush couch in front of the fireplace, and Asami poured herself a drink before joining her.

Korra wrapped her arm around Asami's shoulders and held her tight. "How about dinner and a movie tonight? You can pick both."

Asami was quick to answer. "The Brown Derby-- the one in Hollywood-- and _Gone With the Wind._ " She looked up at Korra from where her head was resting on her shoulder, and Korra turned to look at her. "Give me a kiss?"

"Absolutely."

They kissed, their lips not in any hurry to part. When they did, Asami sighed. "Am I a bad daughter? I didn't speak to my father for three years, and I'm not feeling anything over his death."

"You're not bad. Not a bad daughter, woman, girlfriend, anything. Your dad's the one who pushed you away." She kissed the top of her head. "In time, you may mourn, and I'll be right here for you."

Asami sighed again and closed her eyes. "I love you, Korra."

"I love you, too."

Asami took a sip of her drink, and she bit her lip. "I'm conflicted about the company."

"How so?"

"Part of me wants to take it. I've been preparing for that my entire life, but..."

Korra had a feeling she knew what was making her so conflicted. "Asami, I know what Future Industries means to you, and you know I will support you in whatever you decide. If you want to move back here and take control of the company, do it."

"I don't know. I mean, it's not like there's a huge demand for planes or anything."

Korra shrugged. "This sounds so bad, but there _is_ some conflict in Europe right now. Perhaps you can work a deal with the Brits?"

Asami sat up as she laughed. "You want me to sell war planes?"

"If it helps you and the company, sure."

"Would you-- would you live here with me?"

Korra smiled. "Everything is much better back home, so yes, I would."

Asami kissed her cheek. "And with many planes at my disposal, flying your family and friends out here from time to time is no problem."

Korra sat up and took Asami's drink from her hand. She set it on the table, and she turned back to Asami. "So we're really doing this?"

Asami felt her eyes tear up, but she was smiling. "Yes."

They kissed and ended up skipping dinner and movie that night. The made it to Asami's old bedroom, most of their clothes already off, and the only light in the room was the lightning flashing through the large windows. After they made love (a few times), Asami fell asleep first. Korra held her tight under the sheets, still in disbelief that she was really here with the woman she really loved. That if not for Asami's controlling father and the dust storms, they would have never met. They never would have fallen in love. They never would have known their soulmate.

Korra kissed Asami's forehead, and she let the thunder lull her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Korra and Asami lived happily ever after, even with the whole World War II thing that'll happen next.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read this story, and again, I apologize for the wait.


End file.
